Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company– Masdar has started commercial operations at a 35MW/70MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Rochdale, strengthening the company’s contribution to UK energy security and marking the latest step in its planned £1 billion ($1.4 billion) investment in British battery storage.
The facility can provide enough clean power to supply around
35,000 homes per day, based on two charging and discharging cycles.
It can also respond to changes in electricity supply and
demand within milliseconds, providing critical grid-balancing services and
supporting network stability.
The Rochdale project follows Masdar’s 20MW/40MWh Welkin Road
facility in Stockport, which began operations last December.
The company is developing additional projects in
Chesterfield and Cardiff, with a combined capacity of 150MW/300MWh.
Financing for the four projects was completed last month,
with Masdar securing up to £97 million from SMBC and ING.
Following its acquisition of Arlington Energy in 2022,
Masdar committed to developing a 3GWh UK BESS pipeline.
The portfolio is intended to support renewable energy
integration, strengthen grid reliability and help reduce consumer costs,
aligning with the UK’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
Masdar is also expanding battery storage globally as
electricity demand rises.
The company has more than 65GW of renewable capacity
worldwide and aims to reach 100GW by 2030.
Husain Al Meer, Executive Director, Global Offshore Wind & UK, Masdar said: “Beginning commercial operations at our Rochdale facility is a key milestone in our £1 billion commitment to UK battery storage. As electricity demand grows and renewable generation continues to expand, battery storage is becoming an increasingly vital component of maintaining a secure, reliable and affordable electricity network. Our continuing rollout of our £1 billion pipeline reflects Masdar's long-term commitment to the UK and we are proud to be supporting the country's energy security by delivering the flexible infrastructure needed to enable greater renewable energy deployment.” -OGN/TradeArabia News Service