SSE Renewables to build huge 320MW battery storage facility in Britain

British company SSE Renewables will build a battery storage facility in Yorkshire, northern England, with an installed capacity of 320 MW and a storage capacity of 640 MWh. It will be one of the largest battery systems in the United Kingdom. 

SSE Renewables said in a press release announcing its final investment decision that construction would begin in the coming months. This is SSE Renewables’ third battery storage project in the United Kingdom, although the previous two are significantly smaller (50 MW near the city of Salisbury and 150 MW near the village of Ferrybridge).

"Battery storage plays a key role in decarbonising the United Kingdom and Ireland. Batteries such as those that will form part of the 320MW project at Monk Fryston, and which will be capable of supplying electricity for up to two hours at a time, will be able to store electricity that can then be supplied to the UK electricity grid when demand is highest, helping to meet peak electricity demand," SSE Renewables said.

The new battery storage facility will be built right next to a substation operated by the UK transmission system operator, National Grid, near the village of Monk Fryston. According to the project developer, connecting directly to the electricity grid at the existing substation will minimise the impact on the surrounding environment.

SSE Renewables currently operates renewable energy plants with a total installed capacity of 4 GW. Half of this capacity comes from onshore wind farms, 1.5 GW from hydropower plants and 0.5 GW from offshore wind farms. In the coming years, the company plans to increase the capacity of its operational renewable energy assets to 9 GW by 2027 and then to 16 GW by 2032.