NatPower to spend £10 billion to build 60GWh of battery storage capacity in the UK

NatPower UK, the British subsidiary of European clean energy developer NatPower Group, announced plans to invest more than £10 billion to develop battery energy storage systems across the UK. The company said it is eyeing 60GWh of new battery capacity and has set aside £600 million to develop new substations for the UK grid.

Fabrizio Zago, Group CEO of NatPower, commented: “Today we present the largest battery storage system development in the UK, with a capacity of over 60GWh, and we are ready to work with institutions and players in the field to make energy production systems increasingly efficient.”

Stefano DM Sommadossi, CEO of NatPower UK, added: “In terms of resources, skills, policies and investment, the UK is unrivalled and companies like NatPower will help achieve the goals the country has set for itself.”

NatPower UK said it will submit planning applications for three gigawatt-scale energy storage power stations in the UK, with 10 more to come next year. NatPower Group is an independent clean energy developer founded in 2019 with a total renewable energy pipeline of 30GW. The company's projects are spread across Italy, the UK, Canada, the United States, Kazakhstan, Tunisia and Chile.

The battery storage project is a key part of the UK’s plans to decarbonise its electricity grid and is expected to have three times the capacity of pumped hydro, which is currently the second largest form of energy storage in the UK.

Source: Rystad Energy

Battery storage projects support the energy transition by storing surplus electricity generated by wind farms and solar power projects for later use.

NatPower UK, which said it would finance, own and in some cases operate the projects, said its investment in new substations was aimed at overcoming grid connection bottlenecks that have plagued new renewable energy projects.

“To address bottlenecks in the transition to clean energy, we will drive investment in the grid itself, working with grid operators to deliver more than 20% of the capacity of new substations needed,” Sommadossi said.

He added: “By investing in substations and focusing first on energy storage, we will achieve the next stage of the energy transition and reduce energy costs for consumers.”

(Source: NatPower UK Global Energy Storage Network, New Energy Network Comprehensive)