Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Fidra Energy has joined forces with energy storage system provider Sungrow to support the growth of Fidra’s BESS portfolio.
Sungrow will supply two Fidra Energy projects in the UK with its liquid-cooled Power-Titan 2.0 BESS units and provide long-term maintenance services for both sites.
The first site expected to have the PowerTian 2.0 systems installed is the Thorpe Marsh project in South Yorkshire. Once completed, the site will house a 1.4GW BESS with a 2-hour duration, although Sungrow notes that expansion to a 4-hour system at a later date is possible. Construction is set to begin in 2025, and once connected, the Thorpe Marsh BESS will be one of the largest BESS projects in Europe.
The second site to be supplied with Sungrow equipment is the West Burton C BESS, a 500MW/1GWh project set to begin construction in 2026.
James Wu, senior vice president of Sungrow, commented: “This collaboration with Fidra Energy represents a shared commitment to energy innovation and an investment in the UK’s sustainable future. By bringing our technology to these landmark projects, we’re setting a new standard for energy storage solutions to support the UK’s renewable energy goals for years to come.”
“Battery storage is a proven, cost-effective and flexible technology that will be critical for Europe’s energy transition”, added Fidra Energy CEO Chris Elder. “Sungrow has demonstrated that it will be an excellent partner, and we look forward to working with them to support our UK and European growth ambitions.”
Fidra’s bold ambitions
Institutional energy investment firm EIG launched Fidra Energy in October of this year with an initial development pipeline of 3.15GW. The Edinburgh-headquartered firm has set an ambitious target of having a 10GW BESS portfolio across the UK and Europe by 2030.
Alongside the Thorpe Marsh and West Burton C projects, Fidra Energy is also developing the 1.2GW/2.4GWh Bicker Fen 1&2 project in Lincolnshire, England. Planning consent has not yet been granted for this project; the final planning approval is expected to be granted in 2025, with commercial operations hoped to begin in 2028 or 2029.
Meanwhile, Sungrow has also been working to implement the PowerTitan 2.0 system in other BESS projects across the UK. In September, the company signed an agreement with Penso Power and BW ESS to supply the Hams Hall Energy Storage project with 280 sets of PowerTitan 2.0 units, and in August, Sungrow agreed to provide SSE Renewables‘ Monk Fryston project with 320MW/640MWh worth of PowerTitan units.
