The 200MW BESS is to alleviate grid constraints and increase utilisation of renewables. Image: Getty
A 200MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to be located in Heysham, Lancashire has secured planning permission.
Forming part of a wider 1GW portfolio under development by Kona Energy, the BESS has been strategically located to participate in multiple energy markets and is situated at the landing point of six offshore wind farms.
The project is connecting on the B7a constraint boundary, which Kona Energy founder Andy Willis said is one of the most constrained areas in the UK where wind farms and other low carbon technologies are regularly curtailed.
"As these constraint costs rise, projects like this are essential to relieving network congestion and reducing unnecessary waste," he said.
The project – which Kona said will be one of the largest in Europe once constructed – is to help alleviate grid constraints, reduce energy bills and increase the utilisation of renewable energy, according to the company.
It is also to provide local grid services in the form of inertia and reactive power. A trial run by National Grid ESO and UK Power Networks found savings of up to £100 million could be made with the introduction of a national reactive power market, with solar, battery storage and wind all providing reactive power services during the trial.
As part of the project’s development, Kona is to provide a financial contribution to a local nature reserve to improve biodiversity and habitat protection in the area, as well as a separate financial contribution to a local community fund.
Other large-scale BESS projects in the UK include Amp Energy's two 400MW / 800MWh assets in Scotland, which received planning consent in January, as well as a 360MW Sembcorp Energy UK BESS, which is to be built in Teeside.
In 2021, Zenobe Energy claimed its 100MW / 107MWh Capenhurst BESS as Europe’s largest grid-connected battery. Elsewhere, the 100MW Minety site – which consists of two 50MW battery systems developed by Penso Power and funded by China Huaneng Group and CNIC Corporation – has also previously been claimed as Europe’s largest battery storage project.