EDF has signed a long-term deal with Elements Green to support delivery of one of the UK’s largest battery energy storage projects.
The 360MW/720MWh Staythorpe battery energy storage system (BESS) is now under early-stage construction in Nottinghamshire.
The deal provides financial certainty through floor revenues and will see EDF optimise the asset via its Powershift platform, ensuring Staythorpe delivers strong returns while strengthening grid flexibility.
Scheduled to be operational in 2027, Staythorpe will have the capacity to power over 95,000 homes for a full day.
Under the agreement, EDF’s wholesale market services team will guarantee a minimum level of income from grid balancing, alongside the project’s 15-year capacity market contract.
The EDF team will also operate the battery through EDF’s Powershift platform, making sure it earns the best possible return from available market opportunities.
Elements Green recently reached financial close on a £140m unitranche debt facility, provided by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, for the Staythorpe BESS.
This paves the way for full construction and energisation of the site, which aims to strengthen the UK’s energy system, deliver biodiversity enhancements, support community initiatives, and create skilled local employment.
Stuart Fenner, commercial director of wholesale market services at EDF, said: “Staythorpe isn’t just another project. It is a major step in building the reliable, secure, low carbon power system Britain needs.
“Large-scale storage is essential to make the most of renewable energy, and with Elements Green we are giving this project the certainty and capability to deliver lasting value and real progress towards net zero.”
Elements Green’s chief investment officer James Gates added: “Staythorpe is exactly the kind of large-scale project that can make a meaningful impact on the UK’s energy system.
“Its location next to a major National Grid substation makes it ideally suited for better storage at scale, and partnering with EDF ensures we have the commercial framework in place to deliver reliable performance for decades to come.”