NatPower UK to build first BESS with port electrification

NatPower UK has secured an agreement with Sembcorp Utilities UK Limited for a 32-acre site at Wilton International in Redcar, where it will deliver the UK’s first utility-scale grid storage project which combines dedicated port electrification infrastructure.

The project will feature a 1-gigawatt (GW) / 8 gigawatt-hour (GWh) lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).

It represents one of the highest-capacity and longest-duration storage projects in the UK.

As the UK faces grid bottlenecks, an estimated £3.5 billion ($4.7 billion) a year in wasted clean energy due to curtailment, and rising industrial energy costs, NatPower is responding with its £1 billion ($1.35 billion) Teesside GigaPark.

The project will reportedly deliver one of the UK’s most advanced battery storage facilities (BESS), designed to power both industry and ports while enabling marine electrification.

It will also reportedly create around 200 construction jobs, generate long-term skilled employment, and invest £2 million ($2.7 million) annually in the local community.

The Teesside GigaPark will operate at four hours’ storage capacity (4 GWh) initially, with potential to double to eight hours (8 GWh).

This level of duration and capacity combined has not been delivered before in the UK, where most BESS developments operate at one to two hours, reported NatPower UK.

Stefano D.M. Sommadossi, CEO of NatPower UK and NatPower Marine, said: “Teesside, our most advanced GigaPark, located at Wilton International, will be the blueprint for how we combine high-capacity renewable energy storage with the electrification of ports and industry.

“Within five years, we can transform one of the UK’s most important industrial hubs into a net-zero economic powerhouse and then replicate this model in ports across the globe.”

NatPower will build and operate the site to connect it to the grid by 2028. NatPower is designing the infrastructure from the outset to power ships at berth (cold ironing) and recharge electric propulsion systems for future vessel types.

The Teesside GigaPark’s BESS will reportedly be one of the most advanced in the UK, and engineers have designed it to keep the grid balanced as the nation transitions to clean energy.

With electricity demand forecast to rise by 50 per cent by 2050 and an extra 15 per cent expected from shipping electrification, the UK grid faces unprecedented pressure.

The multi-gigawatt system will store surplus renewable electricity from offshore wind and other generators when production is high, then release it instantly during periods of peak demand or low generation.

This capability will help the system actively reduce the curtailment of renewable energy.

This same clean, flexible power will now reportedly enable the potential for decarbonising UK shipping at Teesside.

Once operational, the BESS infrastructure will make it possible to provide shore power to ships for cold ironing at berth, eliminating emissions while docked, at anchor, and for electric propulsion while operating near-shore.

Mike Patrick, CEO of Sembcorp Energy UK, said: “We are pleased to support NatPower to bring one of the UK’s most advanced battery energy storage projects to Wilton International.

“With its robust grid infrastructure, Wilton International offers the ideal platform for scaling long-duration battery storage and supporting maritime electrification. This project further strengthens Wilton International’s role as a strategic site for low-carbon innovation, driving the UK’s journey towards a net-zero future.”

Earlier this May, UK Power Networks planned to launch its project, “Electric Thames”, which aimed to transform the maritime sector by drastically reducing its carbon emissions.