© Supplied by Apatura/DCT Media In this week’s Charging Forward, Apatura has unveiled plans for a battery storage and AI data centre hub at the site of the former Ravenscraig steelworks in Motherwell.
Meanwhile, the UK government is set to invest £452 million in battery manufacturing innovation.
And UK-headquartered thermal energy storage firm Aed Energy is set to partner with a Masdar and BP-backed startup accelerator on expansion in the Middle East.
This week’s UK energy storage headlines:
- Apatura unveils plans for AI data centre and BESS hub in former Ravenscraig steelworks
- UK to invest £452m in battery manufacturing innovation
- Aed Energy partners with Masdar and BP-backed accelerator on Middle East expansion
- LiNa Energy opens North West sodium battery manufacturing plant
- New UK trade body for energy storage sector launched
- Firstway Energy secures consent for 100 MW Derbyshire BESS
- RPC and Greenfield secure consent for 50 MW Cardiff BESS
- International energy storage news: US battery maker Lyten takes over Polish energy storage factory following Northvolt collapse
Apatura unveils £3.9bn Ravenscraig BESS and AI data centre
UK energy storage developer Apatura has announced a £3.9 billion plan to develop a major data centre with a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Motherwell.
The plans will transform the site of the former Ravenscraig steelworks, which was once one of the largest hot strip steel mills in Europe before it eventually closed in 1992.
The Ravenscraig site is now one of Europe’s largest brownfield regeneration and community creation initiatives, with plans for thousands of homes, businesses and industrial space.
Apatura said the site could become one of the UK’s “largest green AI data centres” and bring “thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds of inward investment”.
© Supplied by ApaturaThe firm estimates the development could be “transformational” for the local area and Scotland’s wider economy.
An independent study found the project would contribute an additional 0.4% to Scotland’s GDP once operational, with construction providing a one-off £1.2bn gross value added boost.
It would support around 2,399 long-term jobs, and Apatura said developing more data centres in the Central Belt could “play a vital role in reducing grid constraint payments”.
The Edinburgh and York-based developer said the Ravenscraig site will be powered by 500 MW of grid connections due to come online by 2030.
It is one of five AI-ready sites the firm is progressing across Scotland’s central belt, backed by over 1.6 GW of confirmed grid connections.
Apatura said the Ravenscraig data centre would harness Scotland’s growing supply of renewable energy and use constrained wind and solar generation.
The firm has submitted its Ravenscraig proposal to the UK government’s AI Growth Zones initiative, part of a wider government AI strategy.
Green data centre plan ‘plays strongly to Scotland’s strengths’
Apatura chief executive Giles Hanglin said the Ravenscraig proposal “plays strongly to Scotland’s strengths” in green energy, AI, education and skills.
“We’ve secured the land and grid, and we’re already working closely with relevant organisations locally and nationally to make sure the benefits are widely felt,” Hanglin said.
“If we were selected as an AI Growth Zone it would be a significant endorsement of our ambition to make Scotland a powerhouse of green, AI-enabled digital infrastructure – starting with Ravenscraig and extending across the central belt.”
Ravenscraig director Russell Wilkie said the project is an “exciting opportunity”.
“With grid connections in place, land secured, and a delivery team aligned, we have a fully viable site within the Ravenscraig masterplan to meet the UK’s AI infrastructure needs,” Wilkie said.
“This multi-billion pound investment project is a platform for national progress, combining energy, digital infrastructure, and regional innovation to create tangible economic and social benefits for Scotland and for the wider UK economy.”
UK to invest £452m in battery manufacturing innovation
The UK government has announced a £452m investment in its Battery Innovation Programme as part of the advanced manufacturing sector plan.
Formerly known as the Faraday Battery Challenge, the programme is managed by UK government agency Innovate UK.
The £452m will be split across the Faraday Institution, Innovate UK and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.
The funding, from the Department for Business and Trade, comes as part of the Labour government’s wider industrial strategy released last week.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) said the investment will accelerate battery research, innovation and manufacturing scale-up.
© Supplied by UKBICThe research will aim to optimise battery technologies to make them cheaper, more sustainable and better performing, while reducing reliance on overseas supply chains.
Battery Innovation Programme deputy director Ben Walsh said the funding will “help accelerate growth in the UK’s battery sector”.
“The programme will continue to grow a thriving, energised battery innovation ecosystem, ensuring the UK becomes a world leader in the sustainable design, manufacture, and use of batteries,” Walsh said.
Meanwhile, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre managing director Sean Gilgunn said the funding “marks a new chapter for the UK’s battery sector”.
“This investment programme will help to accelerate next-generation battery technologies, strengthen industrial partnerships, and drive the UK toward a net zero, electrified future through world-leading innovation,” Gilgunn said.
Aed Energy partners with Catalyst on Middle East expansion
UK long duration energy storage (LDES) developer Aed Energy has secured investment from Emirati startup accelerator Catalyst to expand in the Middle East.
Aed Energy has developed an innovative long duration thermal storage system which uses low-cost materials and a novel heat to power technology.
The thermal battery systems can be used in applications ranging from grid-scale energy storage to combined heat and power applications such as district heating.
Catalyst, backed by UAE renewable energy developer Masdar and BP, will support Aed Energy’s regional growth and fast-track deployment of its thermal LDES technology.
As part of the partnership, London-based Aed will open an office in Masdar City and work with Catalyst to deploy its storage systems in “markets where reliable, dispatchable clean energy is urgently needed to meet rising demand”.
Middle East expansion plans
Aed Energy chief executive Rayan Kassis said the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has abundant solar and wind but “limited clean baseload options”.
“Our thermal batteries fill that gap – delivering 24/7 energy for sites that need more than just a few hours of storage,” Kassis said.
© Supplied by Aed Energy“From desalination to decentralised power and cooling, we’re focused on solving practical energy and water challenges at scale. Catalyst’s support helps us move faster.”
Catalyst managing director Swethal Kumar said the organisation aims to accelerate scalable technologies that “solve real-world climate challenges”.
“Aed Energy’s innovative thermal storage systems are exactly the kind of high-impact solution needed to decarbonise energy and water infrastructure across the region,” Kumar said.
“By supporting its growth, we’re helping bring reliable, affordable clean energy to markets where it’s needed most — and positioning the UAE as a launchpad for global climate innovation.”
The Catalyst partnership comes shortly after Aed launched a pilot demonstrator project in Lagos, Nigeria.
LiNa Energy opens North West sodium battery plant
UK battery technology firm LiNa Energy has officially opened a pilot sodium battery manufacturing plant in Lancaster in the North West of England.
Founded in 2017 as a spin-out of Lancaster University, LiNa has developed solid-state batteries created using salt and a proprietary ceramic electrolyte.
The company received £20m from investors, including £1m from Innovate UK, to open the Lancaster plant as part of plans to bring the sodium battery technology to global markets.
Located at White Cross Industrial Estate, the 8,000 square ft pilot manufacturing line sits next to LiNa’s existing research and development laboratories.
© Supplied by LiNa EnergyLiNa plans to use the facility to export batteries to customers in regions where solar energy is abundant, such as Tata Power in India and “strategic partners in the Middle East”.
The firm said while most energy storage technologies “struggle to operate effectively in the intense heat and demanding conditions of these regions”, its sodium batteries are “purpose-built to thrive where others falter”.
LiNa Energy chief executive Will Tope said the opening of the Lancaster plant is a “defining moment” for the company.
“While headlines have dominated the battery industry, we’ve stayed focused on what matters most – trusting the science and a dogged commitment to honing and finessing the technology,” Tope said.
© Supplied by LiNa Energy“This new facility is the result of years of disciplined engineering and a clear-eyed view of what the market truly needs.”
Labour Lancaster and Wyre MP Cat Smith said the facility will create “numerous skilled jobs for the local community” and contribute to UK net zero goals.
Energy Storage Association (UK) launched
Trade body Energy Storage Association (UK) has launched with a mission to acclerate the adoption of energy storage technologies.
The Energy Storage Association (ESA) UK will focus on driving innovation, investment and policy to “unlock the full potential of storage solutions,” the organisation said.
Founding members include GivEnergy Limited, Sunsynk, Powervault, Octopus Energy, Keele University and Durham University.
The trade body said it will work with industry leaders, policymakers and communities to “drive forward the innovation and investment needed to make energy storage a central pillar of the UK energy strategy”.
Founder and interim CEO Jason Howlett said the vision for ESA UK is focused on ensuring energy storage can lower consumer costs, stabilise the grid and “accelerate the transition to net zero”.
“Energy storage is not just a technical solution, it’s a necessity for delivering dependable, affordable, clean energy from renewable sources where and when it’s needed most,” Howlett said.
Founding ESA UK chairwoman Baroness Luciana Berger said energy storage is “one of the biggest opportunities” for UK firms in the global transition to clean energy.
Firstway Energy secures consent for 100 MW Derbyshire BESS
UK solar and battery storage developer Firstway Energy has secured planning permission for a 100 MW BESS project in Willington, Derbyshire.
It marks the sixth planning approval in eight months for the London-based developer, bringing its consented portfolio to 600 MW.
The project is located next to the Willington substation and will provide grid balancing services and energy storage capacity for around 300,000 homes over two hour periods.
RPC and Greenfield secure consent for 50 MW Cardiff BESS
A partnership between Renewable Power Capital (RPC) and Greenfield has secured planning permission for a BESS project in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
The 49.9 MW Cardiff BESS is the third project developed by the partner firms to secure consent following similar projects in Steventon and Tredington in 2024.
Altogether, the two firms have close to 500 MW of battery storage projects in development.
Construction at the Cardiff BESS will take between six to 12 months, with an expected connection date of 2030.
Since forming the development partnership with Greenfield in 2023, RPC has expanded its battery storage pipeline to more than 5.5 GW across the UK, Italy and Finland.
RPC is also developing onshore wind projects in Finland and Sweden and a solar project in Spain.
Greenfield meanwhile has a 3.52 GW pipeline of BESS and renewable energy projects across the UK, Italy and Romania.
International energy storage news
Lyten takes over Polish BESS factory after Northvolt collapse
US battery maker Lyten has acquired Europe’s largest BESS manufacturing facility from collapsed Swedish firm Northvolt.
Lithium-sulphur battery manufacturer Lyten will take full ownership of Northvolt Dwa ESS, located in Gdansk, Poland, for an undisclosed fee.
The 25,000 square metre facility has up to 6 GWh of energy storage manufacturing capacity, with the ability to expand to 10+ GWh in the future, Lyten said.
Lyten said the acquisition of the Northvolt facility will accelerate the expansion of its lithium-sulphur batteries into the European market.
© Supplied by Lyten/MakovskyFounded in 2015, the San Jose-headquartered company’s technology has applications in the drone, space, and EV sectors alongside battery storage.
Lyten said its “high energy density” and ultra-lightweight lithium-sulphur batteries possess “unique characteristics that make them ideally suited to meet rapidly growing demand for BESS”.
These include the ability to operate at higher temperatures, improved safety, and a supply chain based on low-cost materials and abundantly available materials within the US and Europe.
‘Silicon Valley technology with Polish engineering’
Lyten chief executive and co-founder Dan Cook said the “world class” Northvolt facilities in Poland are a “seamless strategic fit” for the American company.
“We plan to immediately restart operations in Poland and deliver on existing and new customer orders,” Cook said.
© Supplied by Lyten/Makovsky“The Port of Gdansk, local and federal officials have all been fully supportive as we combine Silicon Valley technology with Polish engineering and operations talent to export next generation energy storage technology to customers worldwide.”
Lyten chairman and co-founder Lars Herlitz said European firms want energy storage systems “manufactured in Europe using locally sourced supply chains free of geopolitical risk”.
“Gdansk, Poland is the perfect location to meet this need for Europe,” Herlitz said.
Charging Forward, bringing you the latest in UK and international energy storage news, is kindly sponsored by ABB BESS-as-a-Service.
