© Supplied by DCT Media/Apatura In this week’s Charging Forward, Apatura has secured planning approval for a 100 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Kilwinning.
Meanwhile, rural MPs raised safety concerns over separate plans from Statkraft and Elmya Energy to develop BESS projects in England.
And French multinational Engie unveiled plans to invest up to £1 billion to refurbish the Dinorwig pumped storage hydropower (PSH) station in Wales.
This week’s UK energy storage headlines:
- Apatura secures approval for 100 MW Kilwinning BESS
- Conservative and Green MPs raise BESS safety concerns
- France’s Engie to invest up to £1bn in Dinorwig pumped hydro
- ILI Group secures planning consent for 100 MW West Lothian BESS
- BW ESS secures
- International energy storage news: New Zealand completes first grid-scale battery storage project, Chinese battery giant CATL shares surge on Hong Kong debut
Apatura secures approval for 100 MW Kilwinning BESS
UK energy storage developer Apatura has secured planning permission from the Scottish government for a 100 MW BESS near the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.
Apatura said it will build the BESS project 500 metres north east of Kilwinning on eight acres of land.
The Kilwinning development is the tenth BESS project that Apatura has received planning consent for in the last 17 months.
It brings the York-headquartered firm’s total consented BESS portfolio to more than 1.6GW.
Apatura chief development officer Andrew Philpott said BESS sites like the Kilwinning project are “integral for enabling Scotland and the UK to achieve their net zero targets”.
“Not only does battery storage help manage our renewable energy supply and demand, it also helps bolster the stability of our national grid and boost local economies as well,” Philpott said.
“It’s encouraging to see projects like Kilwinning getting approval at such a rapid pace.
“Battery storage will play a major role in Scotland and the UK’s transition to renewable energy system and a low carbon economy.”
Apatura secured planning consent for its 150 MW Neilston BESS near Glasgow in February.
Conservative and Green MPs raise BESS safety concerns
Two MPs representing rural English constituencies have raised concerns over the safety of BESS projects in Buckinghamshire and Norfolk.
Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith has called on council authorities to reject plans from Statkraft to build a 500 MW BESS close to a substation at East Claydon.
Smith has previously opposed plans from Statera Energy to build a 500 MW BESS near Granborough, which also sits near the East Claydon substation.
Meanwhile, Green Party co-leader and Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay has raised concerns about fire safety risks at a Norfolk BESS project located in his constituency.
Spanish firm Elmya Energy is proposing a 900 MW capacity BESS on farmland at Rushall, near Diss.
Ramsay told the BBC that while he did not “want to scaremonger”, he would meet with Norfolk’s fire chief to discuss the concerns of local residents.
In nearby Suffolk, fire chiefs are also calling for more powers to enforce safety measures at UK BESS projects.
While the UK has seen one major fire at a BESS site near Liverpool in 2020, a study from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) found the industry achieved a 97% drop in grid-scale BESS failures between 2018 and 2023.
The interventions from the two MPs come amid increasing pushback against net zero projects from local communities across the UK.
Engie to invest up to £1bn in Dinorwig pumped hydro scheme
French multinational Engie has announced plans to invest up to £1bn in a ten-year refurbishment programme at the Dinorwig PSH scheme in north Wales.
It comes as Engie nears completion on an eight-year refurbishment project at the Ffestiniog PSH station, also located in north Wales.
Opened in 1984, Dinorwig has a total installed capacity of around 1.7 GW, and a total storage capacity of 9.1 GWh.
Meanwhile, Ffestiniog became the UK’s first major PSH facility when it was commissioned in 1963. The station’s four generating units can produce a combined output of 360 MW, with total storage capacity of 1.44 GWh.
Together, the two stations represent 5% of the UK’s total installed power generation capacity and 74% of the country’s PSH capacity.
© Supplied by EngieEngie owns 75% of the two PSH plants via joint venture firm First Hydro Company, with Canadian investment group CDPQ holding the remaining 25%.
As part of the £1bn refurbishment, Engie said it could replace all six generating units at Dinorwig, although a final investment decision is still to be made.
Engie said the project will take up to ten years “due to the complexity and scale of engineering involved” and the need to keep the plant as available as possible.
Engie UK chief executive Miya Paolucci said the French firm is “making significant financial and resource commitments” to investigate whether to invest in a full or partial re-planting of Dinorwig.
“Flexible storage is essential for net zero carbon operation of Britain’s electricity system,” Paolucci said.
“It helps balance the system by ensuring there’s always a large volume of ‘back up’ power on standby, that can be delivered in very fast timescales if required.”
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said the renewable energy sector is creating “exciting economic opportunities for Wales”.
Meanwhile, Engie said the re-planting of four generating units at Ffestiniog will be complete by the end of 2025.
ILI Group secures approval for 100 MW Learielaw BESS
Hamilton-headquartered ILI Group has secured planning approval for its 100 MW Learielaw BESS project in West Lothian.
Located near Boxburn, ILI said Learielaw meets the National Energy System Operator’s (NESO) Gate 2 readiness criteria and holds a 2028 grid connection date.
NESO is currently undertaking a review of the UK’s grid connection queue, which could see some renewable energy and battery storage projects culled.
ILI Group chief executive Mark Wilson said Learielaw is a “key step” in the company’s efforts to “make Scotland a leader in clean, secure energy”.
“Learielaw is another strong addition to our battery storage pipeline and highlights the momentum we’ve built in delivering nationally significant energy infrastructure,” Wilson said.
“As the grid evolves to handle more renewable generation, projects like Learielaw will be vital in providing the flexibility and reliability the system needs.”
BW ESS secures financing for 331 MWh Bramley BESS
Battery storage developer BW ESS, a subsidiary of BW Group, has secured debt financing for its operational 331 MWh Bramley BESS in Hampshire.
The Zurich-headquartered firm said Australia’s Westpac and Singapore’s UOB will each contribute 50% to the undisclosed debt facility.
BW ESS said the transaction follows a “highly competitive” financing process for Bramley, which the firm said is “one of the UK’s longest duration and most versatile energy storage assets”.
The Bramley BESS benefits from a market-first, seven-year tolling agreement with Shell Energy Europe. The storage scheme has been one of the largest single source of energy storage capacity available to the UK grid since its inauguration in February, the company added.
BW ESS chief financial officer Marc Weisser said Bramley is a “flagship asset” in the company’s “growing UK portfolio.
“We were nonetheless encouraged by the exceptionally high level of interest the project generated from the lending community,” Weisser said.
Alongside Bramley, BW ESS is currently constructing a 1.4 GWh project at Hams Hall alongside progressing pre-construction at the 700 MWh Berkswell BESS.
Altogether, the company has a further development pipeline of five BESS projects in the UK representing around 1 GW of capacity.
BW ESS is also progressing further BESS projects in Australia, Italy, Germany and Sweden.
International energy storage news
New Zealand completes first grid-scale BESS project
New Zealand state-owned renewable energy developer Meridian Energy has completed construction on the country’s first large-scale grid BESS.
Meridian said the 100 MW/200 MWh Ruakākā BESS has enough capacity to power around 60,000 average households in winter for a two-hour period.
Located south of Whangārei in the country’s Northland region, Meridian said the Ruakākā project came in under its original NZ$186m (£82m) budget.
Meridian general manager for development Guy Wapira said the BESS is a “new and exciting” addition to the company’s asset portfolio.
© Supplied by Meridian Energy“It gives us the ability to load shift between price periods, smooth out peak periods, provide greater resilience to Northland and enable Meridian to participate in the North Island electricity reserves market,” Wapira said.
“Although construction and commissioning are now complete, some steps remain before the BESS is fully operational, including approval of final commissioning test results.”
Altogether, Wapira said Merdian plans to invest NZ$3bn (£1.3bn) in renewable energy projects, including battery storage, wind and solar, over the next five years.
Chinese battery giant CATL shares surge in Hong Kong listing
Chinese battery maker CATL saw its shares surge by 16% last week as it debuted on the Hong Kong stock market in the biggest listing of the year to date in 2025.
CATL, which supplies EV batteries to major carmakers including Telsa, Volkswagen and Toyota, raised close to HK$35.7bn (£3.4bn) from the initial public offering (IPO).
Founded in 2011 in the Chinese city of Ningde, CATL listed on China’s Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2018.
The company has a market capitalisation of just over £120bn, and employs more than 116,000 people worldwide.
Alongside EV batteries, CATL also produces BESS products and recently launched the world’s first 9 MWh ultra-large capacity energy storage system.
Overall, CATL’s energy storage business generated 15.83% of its total sales in 2024, with the company holding a 36.5% market share in global shipments.
Currently, CATL is heavily reliant on the Chinese domestic market which accounts for almost 70% of its total revenue.
As a result, the firm has been somewhat shielded from tariffs implemented by US President Donald Trump.
But CATL is working to expand its international operations, opening its first European manufacturing plant in Germany in 2023.
The company is working on a second European factory in Hungary, alongside plans to build a £3.2bn EV battery plant in Spain in a joint venture with Stellantis.
