EDF Renewables UK is set to bring more than 300MW of battery storage online to support the decarbonisation of the UK’s grid, marking a significant milestone and ongoing momentum in accelerating the energy transition.
The company has six projects in construction which are set to go live in the next 12 months, including a 57MW site in Braintree, Essex and a 47.5MW asset in Indian Queens, Saint Austell.
The company also recently energised a 52MW battery in Sundon, Bedfordshire, which was accomplished in mid-July, as well as Dorset Council last week approving planning for a 47.5MW battery near Mannington in Dorset.
The combined 313MW of battery storage could provide sufficient power to meet the needs of over 400,000 houses for two hours.
The new UK government has committed to an ambitious target that brings forward plans for a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030 and requires a dramatic scaling up of renewables capacity, tripling solar to 50GW, quadrupling offshore wind to 55GW and doubling onshore wind to 35GW by the end of the decade.
Battery storage provides the foundation for a reliable supply of clean power, storing excess energy during peak production and releasing it when needed.
It is predicted between 20GW-30GW of battery storage is required by 2030 to meet the 2050 net zero pathways outlined by ESO2.
Head of solar at EDF Renewables UK Simone Sullivan said: “Our upcoming project pipeline will strengthen the UK’s capacity to integrate more renewables and will allow the grid to be more flexible and resilient by managing electricity supply and demand.
“Battery storage is critical to enhancing our energy security and to achieving the new government’s 2030 targets.
“We have a strong momentum behind our projects, helping the UK to reap the benefits of cost-effective, clean renewable energy and a modern, flexible grid.”
These projects add to EDF Renewables UK’s existing portfolio of more than 150MW of battery energy storage systems already in operation in Oxfordshire, Kent and the West Midlands.
In total, the company plans to deliver up to 2GW of transmission-connected battery storage, with more than 400MW consented and a further 313MW already in construction.