Sembcorp Energy UK Powers Up 60 MW of Ultra-fast Battery Storage
Solihull, UK : Sembcorp Energy UK is pleased to announce that the first 60 megawatts (MW) of its battery energy storage system (BESS) fleet are now in operation.
Located in Asfordby in Leicestershire, and Ellesmere Port and Runcorn in Cheshire, the three battery storage sites recently came online following licensing approval and successful testing. These additions bring Sembcorp Energy UK’s total operational energy portfolio to 973 MW.
These sites comprise half of a 120 MW portfolio of battery storage projects—one of the largest transacted fleets of its kind in Europe. When completed in 2020, the entire fleet will further boost Sembcorp’s ability to provide the flexible distributed energy generation needed to decarbonise the UK system.
Developed in partnership with Fluence, the leading global provider of energy storage technology and services, the units are able to supply power in a matter of milliseconds. This rapid response will help National Grid keep the lights on and avoid situations such as the outage of 9 August 2019, when the UK suffered its largest blackout in more than a decade.
These battery storage installations join Sembcorp’s UK fleet of gas-fired plants, which provide flexible, efficient, rapid-response power to the UK energy market. A total of 40 sites are remotely monitored and controlled from the central operations facility in Solihull, where they can be called upon by National Grid at times of high demand.
Nomi Ahmad, Head of Sembcorp Energy UK, said: “This is a significant milestone as we grow our business with a technology that supports a renewable future and helps deliver the UK Government’s decarbonisation plan. Our assets are positioned close to points of demand where power is most needed. Our sites will play a pivotal role in providing a more secure energy system, helping to mitigate blackout events such as were experienced by UK network operators recently.”
Stephen Coughlin, CEO of Fluence said: “With this fleet of projects, Sembcorp Energy UK is setting the pace for rapid growth in utility-scale energy storage across global markets. These first three projects – and the ones still to come – will provide the deep, split-second flexibility and reliability that are critical for the UK to achieve its ambitious decarbonisation targets. We look forward to the continued growth, innovation, and benefits for the UK that our partnership with Sembcorp will produce.”
Sam Wither, Head of Sembcorp Energy UK’s flexible generation business, commented: “Battery storage complements the continued growth of renewables and takes the UK a step closer to meeting its 2050 decarbonisation ambition. Our partnership with Fluence has grown from talking about energy storage to creating one of the largest distributed portfolios globally in a relatively short space of time. The energy market is ever-changing, and we have fostered a partnership with Fluence that can deliver to the fast-evolving demands of the UK.”
Paul McCusker, Fluence Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “The August 9 blackouts underlined the UK’s critical need for robust and flexible energy storage technology platforms. The batteries already on the system helped mitigate some of the worst impacts of the event. Our partnerships with large fleet buyers like Sembcorp similarly underscore our in-depth experience providing the system resilience the UK grid needs today and the ability it will need going forward to scale quickly to accommodate increasing levels of renewable energy.”
ABOUT SEMBCORP ENERGY UK
Sembcorp Energy UK is a leading provider of flexibility to the UK energy system supplying rapid-response power direct to the grid when it’s needed most. With a total operational portfolio of 973MW that includes significant battery storage, Sembcorp Energy UK helps to keep the country’s electricity system balanced and resilient.b
Sembcorp Energy UK’s major industrial power plants on Teesside deliver high-quality, centralised utilities and services to energy-intensive manufacturers and are complemented by the fleet of fast-acting, decentralised power stations situated throughout England and Wales.
Sembcorp Energy UK is part of the Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries group (Sembcorp), a leading energy, marine, and urban development group, operating across multiple markets worldwide. As an integrated energy player, Sembcorp provides solutions across the energy and utilities value chain, with a focus on the Gas & Power, Renewables & Environment and Merchant & Retail sectors. In addition, Sembcorp is a world leader in offshore and marine engineering, as well as an established brand name in urban development. Sembcorp Industries has total assets of over S$24 billion (£14.3 billion) and over 7,000 employees. Listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange, it is a component stock of the Straits Times Index, several MSCI and FTSE indices, as well as the SGX Sustainability Leaders Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index.
ABOUT FLUENCE
Fluence, a joint venture of Siemens and The AES Corporation, is the leading global energy storage technology solutions and services company, combining the agility of a technology company with the expertise, vision and financial backing of two industry powerhouses. Building on the pioneering work of AES Energy Storage and Siemens energy storage division, Fluence’s goal is to create a more sustainable future by transforming the way we power our world. Fluence offers proven energy storage technology solutions designed to address the diverse needs and challenges of customers in a rapidly changing energy landscape, with more than 1,500 megawatts of projects, deployed or awarded, in 21 countries and territories around the world. Fluence was named as the global leader in utility-scale energy storage in Navigant Research’s Q4 2018 Energy Storage Integrator leaderboard, as well as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2019.
Source : fluence Energy
