This is ILI's fifth battery storage deal in the last year. Image: ILI Group.
Field has acquired its third battery energy storage asset, taking on the ILI Group’s 50MW Auchteraw battery energy storage project.
Located near Fort Augustus in the Highlands, the acquisition follows that of Field Oldham (20MW) and Field Gerrards Cross (20MW) earlier this year.
The company – initially called Virmati Energy – has a pipeline of a further 270MW of battery storage project under exclusivity, as well as plans for 1.3GW of operational capacity by 2024.
Amit Gudka, founder of Field, said it was exciting to be growing the company’s pipeline of battery storage sites.
“We’re determined to keep moving fast, working with companies like ILI Group to finance, build and operate the renewable infrastructure we need to reach net zero. Tackling the climate crisis requires the belief that large systemic changes can be made, and I’m hopeful that our ongoing progress will help prove to the world that there’s a better way to invest - now, during COP26, and beyond.”
Auchteraw is the latest in a string of asset sales by ILI Group, with five battery storage deals in the past 12 months. This includes the sale of its 50MW Fordtown battery storage project in Kintore, Aberdeeshire in October, and the sale of its 50MW utility-scale battery project in Fife, Scotland in March.
These deals have taken the company’s total of funded projects to 250MW, with a further 750MW being prepared for market over 2021-22. Overall, the company is looking to develop 3GW of battery storage projects in the UK, along with 2GW of pumped hydro storage.
Mark Wilson, ILI Group, CEO, said: “It is fitting that this announcement comes at the start of COP26 as energy storage projects like this are crucial in the energy transition to net zero. Energy storage is the sometimes forgotten component to reliance on renewable energy, without it the electricity network would become unstable and would continue to be dependent on fossil fuels.”
Solar Power Portal caught up with Gudka in April to discuss Field’s energy storage pipeline and the next steps for the company.