Fluence is the largest battery storage system integrator in the world, while GE Vernova is part of the electronics and engineering giant GE. Image: Fluence.

Varco Energy, a vehicle of Adaptogen Capital, announced it had chosen the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) provider globally, Fluence, to deliver a 57MW/137.5MWh asset near Liverpool.

The project, called Sizing John, will be deployed at a substation in Rainhill, south of St Helens. It will support National Grid ESO by providing ancillary services as well as trading on the wholesale power market.

Varco announced last week that it had partnered with GE Vernova to deliver a transmission-connected 57MW/138MWh BESS south of Liverpool.

GE Vernova’s solar and storage solutions business will supply the complete BESS for the project, which has been named ‘Native River’, and be located in an area which historically is a congested part of the UK electricity grid.

The project will be comprised of modular units of GE Vernova’s FLEXInverter, FLEXReservoir and FlexIQ solutions. All of these will be scaled to meet the capacity of the project and be able to provide balancing and capacity services to the national grid.

Construction of the project commenced in Q3 2023 with connection to the grid anticipated in early 2024.

“BESS are critical infrastructure to help balance the intermittent nature of renewable energy generation and break the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with GE on one of our first projects, the 57MW Native River project,” said James Mills, director of Varco Energy