Wedoany.com Report-Mar 7, Wind energy developer Ørsted has broken ground on a battery energy storage system (BESS) development to be co-located with the Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the project, which is set to be completed in late 2026.
The BESS development will have a 300MW/600MWh capacity, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. Ørsted claims that once completed, the BESS will be one of the largest in Europe.
As previously reported on Solar Power Portal, the project will be Ørsted’s first large scale battery installation in the UK, and will be owned by Ørsted ICENI Energy Storage UK, the storage-focused branch of the Danish energy company and developer. The project is unusual in that the storage system will be co-located with the onshore substation that shares a connection with the offshore wind farm. Ørsted claims that Hornsea 3, which as a 2.4GW capacity, is the largest wind energy plant globally.
Beatrice d’Eufemia, project manager said: “This is a very exciting project to be a part of, not only for Ørsted as it is our first large-scale battery installation in the UK, but also for the UK energy industry as this project involves two generators using one shared grid connection.
“Success here opens up the possibilities for increased use of existing grid infrastructure in the UK, which is critical when there is a real issue of congestion in the network.”
Ørsted’s UK ambitions
This is far from the only major UK project that the Danish energy major is currently involved in.
In January of this year, Ørsted revealed plans for a 320MW solar PV power plant in East Yorkshire. The Kingfisher Solar Farm, which is proposed to be located three miles north of the town of Beverly, will be classified as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP), meaning that Ørsted will need to secure a development consent order (DCO) from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
If the plans are approved, the project is expected to be operational by the end of 2030 and run for as long as 60 years. Ørsted has not yet stated when an application will be submitted for a DCO. The first round of public consultations for the project are open until 9 March, with local residents and businesses invited to share feedback online or in person.
Ørsted is currently involved in another NSIP proposal, having formed a partnership with PS Renewables to develop the proposed One Earth solar PV power plant in Nottinghamshire. The development will feature a co-located BESS, and has already been approved for 740MW export/import connection by National Grid.
