The battery, which will be the largest in Scotland when commissioned, has started construction with plans to go live by the end of 2022. It will be the first in Scotland to ease constraints directly from the transmission network, helping to push down energy prices for consumers and accelerate the country’s uptake of renewable energy.
Zenobē is working with Centrica Business Solutions as the route to market provider, entering a long-term floor contract which will see Centrica optimise the battery and open access to a variety of revenue streams for the asset. Fluence has been appointed as the Battery Energy Storage System supplier, and H&MV as the Principal Designer and Contractor. The project is being financed by Santander UK.
The project at Wishaw near Glasgow is a significant step for Scotland as it drives towards its 2045 net-zero target, one of the most ambitious in the world. Over the next 15 years, the site will enable 640GWh more renewable generation to travel from north to south and is forecast to remove 450,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, equivalent to the amount that would be removed by planting 7,500 acres of new, European broadleaf forest or taking 18,000 diesel and petrol cars off the road.
The battery will be used as part of National Grid ESO’s Constraints Management pathfinder project, helping increase transmission capacity for the region. This makes it the first battery in the UK to act as a flexibility tool to manage constraints.
James Basden, Co-founder and Director of Zenobē, says:
“This project demonstrates real sustainable innovation. Scotland is leading the world in its move to renewable energy, and we’re excited to be providing critical infrastructure for the UK’s clean energy transition. Alongside our partners Fluence, Centrica, H&MV and Santander UK, we’re increasing flexibility of supply for Glasgow and the wider network between Glasgow and Edinburgh and allowing a greater uptake of renewables and home-grown energy.
The battery at Wishaw is one of a series of major battery flexibility projects by Zenobē and the first of hundreds of millions we intend to invest in Scotland in the next five years. We’re excited to be entering construction for the project and moving forward with what will be a crucial step towards the UK’s net zero targets.”
Marek Kubik, Managing Director UK, Ireland & Israel, Fluence, commented:
"We are pleased to be working with Zenobē to deliver the largest battery-based energy storage system to date in Scotland and the first to be connected directly to the transmission system in the country.
The project in Wishaw will use the highly configurable Gridstack product with intelligent edge controls that is designed for the most demanding market applications and grid services. With the 50MW system being deployed in less than one year, Scotland will be able to benefit from the addition of low-cost, zero-emissions capacity in the near term while it builds towards its 2045 net-zero target."
Mark Cumbo, Director, Specialised & Project Finance, Santander UK, said:
“We are delighted to provide Zenobē with funding to support its latest battery storage facility in Wishaw, following the finance we provided it last year to support construction of its flagship battery at Capenhurst. Santander UK strongly supports clients such as Zenobē that are bringing positive environmental change to the UK’s energy sector.”
Arno Van Mourik, Director of Centrica Business Solutions International, comments:
“We’re delighted to support Zenobē with multi-market optimization services. We’ll leverage our proprietary FlexPond™ platform and trading capabilities to be in the right market at the right time, unlocking greater returns over the lifetime of the project, while supporting the decarbonisation of our power system.”
Asad Babadi, UK Managing Director, H&MV Engineering, adds:
“H&MV Engineering are delighted to be engaged by Zenobē on another key project in the delivery of their Battery Storage pipeline. Our company is internationally accepted as a market leading, trusted supply chain partner for renewable developers & operators. H&MV have successfully connected over 1.5 GW of renewable electricity to the grid with quality and safety always forefront. These are exciting times for H&MV Engineering as we expand our reach throughout the UK and with that comes job creation and further growth. 2022 sees us celebrate our 25th year in business and we are very pleased to be playing a part in the UK’s net zero strategy ambition.”
Zenobē is an international EV fleet and battery storage specialist, headquartered in the UK with operations in Europe and Australasia. It has c.235 MW of contracted storage assets and 1GW in development, around 25% market share of the UK EV bus sector and c.540 electric vehicles contracted globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV buses in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Zenobē’s fleet solution is driving the adoption of electric vehicles and reducing emissions from the transport and logistics sectors. Its ETaaS (Electric Transport-as-a-Service) solution provides fleet operators and local authorities with a full solution for a pay-per-month fee including charging infrastructure, battery replacement and award-winning software. The company’s pioneering battery storage offering enables power grid operators to provide clean, secure and affordable power, accelerating the global transition to Net Zero energy systems. Zenobē is also a leader in repurposing EV batteries after their first life, providing incremental power solutions to large business and the film and events industries.
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. The bank had around 19,200 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.
Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) is a global market leader in energy storage products and services, and digital applications for renewables and storage. With a presence in 30 global markets, Fluence provides an ecosystem of offerings to drive the clean energy transition, including modular, scalable energy storage products, comprehensive service offerings, and the Fluence IQ Platform, which delivers AI-enabled digital applications for managing and optimising renewables and storage from any provider. The company is transforming the way we power our world by helping customers create more resilient and sustainable electric grids.
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