Shell-owned energy tech firm Limejump is set to optimise 100MW of battery storage, providing grid balancing and frequency response services.
The 100MW Minety project, which consists of two 50MW ternary lithium batteries, is located in Wiltshire, in south-west England. Shell Energy Europe has agreed a multi-year power offtake deal for the project, which is backed by China Huaneng Group and Chinese sovereign wealth fund CNIC.
It is due to be completed by the end of 2020, after construction began on 5 December 2019. China Huaneng will take charge of the construction and operation of the site.
The batteries will then be used for grid balancing and frequency response, a spokesperson for Shell confirmed, with Limejump set to optimise the batteries through its virtual power platform. No further detail of how the batteries are to be used has been revealed.
Limejump was acquired by Shell in February 2019, with the O&G major also acquiring German domestic battery storage firm sonnen in that month.
David Wells, vice president of Shell Energy Europe, said that batteries are “uniquely suited” to optimising power supplies as the UK moves towards a net zero system.
“Projects like this will be vital for balancing the UK’s electricity demand and supply as wind and solar power play bigger roles in powering our lives,” Wells added.
Shell Energy Europe’s most recent activity in the UK included the signing of a five year, exclusive trading agreement with Pozitive Energy.
Energy majors are becoming increasingly involved in battery storage in the UK. Shell’s New Energies division entered the UK’s utility-scale battery storage market in January 2019, partnering Anesco for a 1.25MW/1.25MWh project in Norfolk.
Likewise, EDF Energy is targeting UK battery storage projects, and recently acquired storage and electric vehicle charging company Pivot Power. Others making moves in the UK and Irish storage market include Iberdrola-owned ScottishPower and Statkraft.
