Statera’s 50MW battery storage facility in Wiltshire enters commercial operations. Image: Santander UK.
A 50MW battery energy storage facility being developed by Statera Energy has entered commercial operations in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
Dubbed Minety South Storage 2, the project received funding of around £86 million from Santander UK and NatWest. On top of this, the project received an additional £30 million from an accordion facility.
The completion of Minety South Storage 2 takes Statera Energy’s total operational portfolio to 350MW. The portfolio includes 150MW of battery storage and 100MW of gas-fired flexible generation. A further 100MW battery storage project is due for completion next year.
“We are delighted that Santander UK and NatWest have supported Statera Energy’s continued growth with this funding,” said Tom Vernon, managing director of Statera Energy.
“It is essential that flexible generation and energy storage technologies are deployed at scale, in conjunction with the vast amounts of renewables required to meet the UK Government’s target of a net zero power system by 2035. The projects that will be constructed with support from this funding will provide a meaningful contribution to the stability and security of the UK’s power system of the future.”
Statera Energy has a power purchase agreement and long-term strategic partnership with power market optimisation services company Statkraft, to deliver more than 1GW of energy storage and utility-scale flexible gas-powered generation in the UK.
Alongside this, Statera recently signed an agreement with inverter supplier Sungrow in which it would supply a 362MW/391MWh energy storage project in the UK.
The first phase of the project was grid-connected in Q1, 2022, with the rest expected to come online this year. The project will play into both the Capacity Market and Dynamic Containment.
“We are pleased to provide funding to support Statera Energy in constructing these new energy facilities,” said Ioana Bozan, director, specialised and project finance at Santander UK.
“Santander UK strongly supports clients, such as Statera Energy, that are helping to bring stability and reliability to the nation’s power supply and working toward the aim of decarbonising the UK’s electricity sector by 2035.”