Masdar completes first battery energy storage project in UK

Investment forms part of Abu Dhabi company’s $1bn commitment to UK’s battery storage projects

Masdar completed the Stockport battery energy storage project in the UK with a capacity of 20 megawatts. Photo: Masdar

Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar has completed its first battery energy storage system (BESS) project in the UK and plans to develop two more projects in the country as part of its expansion plans.

The start of commercial operations at Stockport forms part of Masdar’s £1 billion ($1.3 billion) commitment to invest in battery energy storage systems in the UK, the company said on Wednesday. Masdar plans to develop two more BESS projects in Cardiff and Chesterfield.

With a capacity of 20 megawatts, or 40 megawatt-hours (MWh), the Stockport unit, on Welkin Road, can store enough clean electricity to power 20,000 homes for more than two hours.

The Chesterfield and Cardiff projects, by contrast, can store enough electricity to power more than 35,000 UK homes for an entire day. The two projects have a combined capacity of 150MW.

“BESS is critical to helping the UK transform its energy systems, unlock more renewable deployment, and bring tangible benefits to consumers, businesses and local communities,” Husain Al Meer, Masdar director of global offshore wind and UK, said.

BESS solutions provide flexible energy to the grid by storing electricity in batteries during periods of low demand and releasing it at peak times. The technology helps to balance and stabilise the intermittent supply from renewable sources.

The UK aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and is accelerating the development of renewable energy projects to reach the target. It plans to build up to 27 gigawatts of battery storage by the end of this decade under its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

Masdar has previously indicated interest in investing in the UK's battery storage systems projects. In 2023, it signed an new agreement with Octopus Energy Group to manage its battery storage portfolio in the UK with the help of Octopus’s Kraken technology platform.

The latest Masdar project follows the company’s announcement in October that it would build one of the world’s first gigascale 24/7 solar and battery storage projects in Abu Dhabi. The project, due for completion by 2027, will feature a 5.2GW solar plant coupled with a 19GWh BESS to deliver up to 1GW of baseload power every day.

Masdar, jointly owned by Taqa, Adnoc and Mubadala, has developed projects in more than 40 countries with a combined capacity of more than 51GW.

The company’s global ambition is to reach 100GW of renewable capacity by 2030.

Masdar also has other major projects in the UK market, including a €5.2 billion co-investment with Iberdrola in the 1.4GW East Anglia Three offshore wind project, which will provide enough power for 1.3 million British homes, and the 3GW Dogger Bank South offshore wind farm being developed in partnership with Germany’s energy company RWE.

Although renewable energy is expanding rapidly, it is not growing fast enough to meet targets set for 2030, the International Renewable Energy Agency said last year.

Capacity needs to grow by at least 16.4 per cent annually until 2030 to achieve the tripling target pledged at the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai, the Abu Dhabi-based agency said in a report.