Flexitricity has been chosen by Foresight to optimise its new 49.9MW West Gourdie battery site.
At just under 50MW, the Dundee-based lithium-ion battery will be one of the largest in Scotland, the company said. It is expected to be fully operational and trading in the first quarter of 2022, when it will help National Grid ESO manage Britain’s energy needs.
West Gourdie will play into all available markets, with Flexitricity optimising it to maximise revenue. This includes the Balancing Mechanism, various frequency response services and the wholesale markets.
Battery storage is growing rapidly in the UK, with over 1GW of installed capacity currently, and the ability to maximise its revenue potential “will be crucial for further investment moving forward,” said Andy Lowe, chief commercial officer at Flexitricity .
“The opportunities are certainly there and we’re confident in our ability to offer market-leading value. Our portfolio has been growing fast which demonstrates trust from the market, both in Flexitricity and the potential of the industry.”
The West Gourdie battery site was initially under development by Gigabox South Road, which was acquired by JLEN in March 2021. JLEN’s advisory mandate had in turn been acquired by the Foresight Group in June 2019.
Together, the pair acquired the 50MW lithium-ion Sandridge Battery Storage project located in Melksham at the beginning of this month. This marked Foresight’s first outright acquisition of a battery storage asset, after it announced it was to diverisfy into battery storage in January, a move approved by shareholders in February.
JLEN has four battery storage assets, two of which are co-located as part of its run-of-river hydro portfolio, as well as the standalones Sandridge and West Gourdie.
Jonathan Lovell, investment manager at Foresight said they were happy to partner with Flexitricity for its “significant battery site” West Gourdie.
“The proportion of intermittent renewable generation is set for further growth, and storage sites like these are much needed as they offer network operators an additional tool in managing the electricity grid.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing the site fully operational in 2022.”