The Anonymous Widower

UK Transmission-Connected 100MW BESS Online At Former Coal Plant Site

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Storage News.

These are the first three paragraphs.

A 100MW battery storage project in the UK connected to National Grid’s transmission network has gone online, developed by Pacific Green on the former site of a coal plant.

UK transmission system operator (TSO) National Grid has plugged in the 100MW/100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project to its 400kV Richborough substation.

The project, dubbed the Richborough Energy Park battery, is owned by asset manager Sosteneo Infrastructure Partners which acquired it from developer Pacific Green in July 2023.

A Transmission-Connected Battery

Thye Energy Storage News article says this about transmission-connected batteries.

Most BESS projects in the UK connect into the lower-voltage networks run by distribution network operators (DNOs) rather than National Grid’s high-voltage network. Benefits of the latter include a more reliable connection and better visibility in National Grid control rooms.

This would look to be a better way to connect a battery to the grid, but the battery must be able to supply electricity at 400 kV.

This Google Map shows the location of Richborough Energy Park.

Note.

1. Richborough Energy Park is marked by the red arrow.
2. The coast is the East Coast of Kent.
3. The Prince’s Golf Club lies between the Energy Park and the sea.

This second Google Map shows the energy park in more detail.

Note.

1. Richborough Energy Park is marked by the red arrow.
2. The 336 MW coal-fired Richborough power station used to occupy the site.
3. To its West is Richborough  400kV substation.
4. There is a large solar park to the North.
5. The 1 GW Nemo Link connects to the grid at the energy park.
6. The 300 MW Thanet Wind Farm connects to the grid here.

It looks like an ideal place to put a 100MW/100MWh battery energy storage system, so that it can balance the wind and solar farms.

Sheaf Energy Park

This page on the Pacific Green web site is entitled Delivering Grid-Scale Energy Storage With A Global Reach.

Four battery projects are shown.

• Richborough Energy Park – In Operation
• Sheaf Energy Park – In Construction
• Limestone Coast Energy Park – In Origination
• Portland Energy Park – In Origination

The first two projects are in Kent and the others are in Australia. That is certainly global reach by Pacific Green.

I then found this page on the Pacific Green web site, that is entitled Pacific Green Acquires Sheaf Energy Limited – 249 MW / 373.5 MWh Battery Energy Storage Development In The UK.

These two paragraphs describe the acquisition and development of Sheaf Energy Park.

Pacific Green Battery Energy Parks 2 Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacific Green Technologies, Inc. has acquired 100% of the shares in Sheaf Energy Limited (“Sheaf Energy Park”) for £7.5 million (US$9.1 million) from UK-based energy originator, Tupa Energy (Holdings) Limited.

Sheaf Energy Park will be a 249 MW / 373.5 MWh battery energy storage system (“BESS”) located next to the Richborough Energy Park in Kent, England. Design and construction will begin in the first half of 2023, with the energy park commencing its 35-year operating life in April 2025.

It looks to me that Pacific Green have found the figures for the construction and operation to their liking at Richborough Energy Park and have decided that to more than triple their investment in energy storage at the site will be very much to their advantage.

Conclusion

I suspect we’ll see other locations in the UK and around the world, with wind, solar, interconnectors and batteries working in harmony to make the most of the electricity available.

December 27, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Energy Storage | Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Coal-fired Power Stations, Grid Battery, Interconnectors, National Grid, Nemo Link, Pacific Green, Richborough Energy Park, Sheaf Energy Park, Solar Power