Wärtsilä delivers SSE’s first grid-scale BESS, balancing intermittency

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has announced that its first 50MW/100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Salisbury, Wiltshire, will be delivered by technology group Wärtsilä.

The battery will be the first connected directly to the transmission network by SSE’s solar and battery division and will support access to clean, reliable energy by balancing the intermittency of renewables.

The partnership marks an important step in the UK’s path towards net zero. Not only is it the first grid-scale battery project developed by SSE, but it will also help the UK to scale up energy storage to meet its ambitious renewable energy targets.

Last year SSE announced it had purchased the project development rights for its first 50MW battery storage asset on a consented site in Wiltshire, from Harmony Energy Limited.

The order was booked to Wärtsilä’s order intake in April 2022 and the system is expected to become operational in September 2023.

The energy storage system will support the UK’s national grid with reliable services such as wholesale market trading, crucial for balancing renewable energy generation throughout the day.

The project will also include Wärtsilä’s GridSolv Quantum, a fully integrated, modular and compact energy storage system, as well as the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, Wärtsilä’s energy management software.

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“Today is a key milestone for SSE as we build out our first battery storage project at Salisbury, but it is also just the beginning of a multi-GW pipeline of solar and battery projects to come,” commented Richard Cave-Bigley, SSE’s director of solar and battery.

“Battery storage has a key role to play in helping the UK to decarbonise by ensuring we make the most of the increasing levels of renewable energy coming onto the Grid.

Kenneth Engblom, vice president of Europe and Africa, Wärtsilä Energy added: “The UK can capitalise on its massive potential for renewable energy by building more of it right now, but energy storage must not be overlooked – effectively balancing the intermittency of renewables is the missing part of the net zero puzzle.

“If properly deployed, energy storage will enable the grid to deal with fluctuations in renewable energy supply and ensure that the end users of energy have secured power supply as we switch to cheaper, cleaner energy.

“This project is a big moment for us as we help one of the UK’s largest energy players scale up renewable energy and provide more British consumers with reliable, low-cost and clean energy.”

This news comes in as the UK’s energy storage pipeline is rapidly increasing. According to SSE, it has doubled within the past year, demonstrating the growing importance of energy flexibility as the country scales up its renewable capacity.

The battery will be the first of SSE’s grid-scale solar and battery projects to support access to clean, reliable energy by balancing the intermittency of renewables.