From around the world: Europe's largest battery storage facility goes into operation in the UK

Zenobē, a leading operator of large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), has commissioned Europe's largest battery storage facility. The new BESS is located in Blackhillock, Scotland.

The largest project in Europe
Europe's largest battery energy storage system (BESS) has been built in the heart of the Scottish countryside, where it ensures grid stability and maximizes the use of energy from wind farms. Zenobē's state-of-the-art battery containers help reduce CO₂ emissions and lower electricity costs for consumers.

This BESS, the first phase of which was commissioned in March, has a capacity of 200 MW and is expected to be expanded to 300 MW/600 MWh by 2026. The strategic location of this BESS makes it possible to address distribution grid congestion caused by the Viking, Moray East, and Beatrice wind farms. This step will help reduce the amount of unused renewable energy and support the UK's plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

Blackhillock is the first storage facility of its kind in the world to provide stabilisation services to a UK energy system operator. This ensures the security and reliability of renewable energy. The storage capacity of this BESS would be able to power more than 3.1 million homes for one hour, which exceeds the number of homes in Scotland.

A commitment to cutting-edge technology
Wärtsilä contributed to the project by supplying the Quantum energy storage system and the GEMS Digital Energy platform, which enables the optimization of energy flows. The use of SMA inverters, which enable a stable supply of high-quality electricity, is also a significant contribution.

"The Blackhillock BESS project is an important milestone on Britain's journey to clean energy, as Zenobē increases the capacity of battery storage in Scotland by more than 30%. BESSs play a vital role in the transition to renewable energy, so I am proud that Zenobē and our partners are leading the way and bringing Europe's largest and most technically advanced battery to market," said James Basden, founder and CEO of Zenobē.

The project offers both environmental and economic benefits. It is expected to help reduce energy bills by more than £170 million over the next 15 years. At the same time, the project should contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2.6 million tons, which is equivalent to the savings that would be achieved by planting millions of trees.

Last but not least, the project enables the storage of surplus energy from wind and solar power plants for later use, helping to stabilize the grid and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. This project is part of a broader UK strategy that aims to increase battery storage capacity to more than 22 GW by 2030.