Member Article

ESB acquires energy storage site from Anesco

Irish utility ESB has acquired a 7MWh battery storage site from Anesco, marking its first grid connected energy storage project in the UK..

Mill Farm in Lincolnshire is made of six battery storage containers. Anesco funded and developed the project, which was completed in just 12 weeks.

The site has been live since April 2018 and benefits from multiple revenue streams. It will support National Grid to help secure the security and quality of the UK’s power supply.

Jim Dollard, executive director of ESB Generation & Wholesale Markets, commented: “ESB has been a leading independent generator in the UK for more than 25 years and the commercial operation at Mill Farm marks another important milestone for the company.

“The site will enable us to develop the technical, commercial and regulatory expertise in battery storage and flexible technologies. This will help to make electricity systems more stable and reliable, while allowing for enhanced performance and flexibility of our existing and future plant.”

Anesco’s specialist O&M service, AnescoMeter, will monitor the batteries at Mill Farm, ensuring they continue to generate the maximum returns for ESB.

Steve Shine, Anesco executive chairman, said: “We’re delighted to be working with ESB on this project – one that supports the utility’s commitment to moving towards a sustainable electricity system.

“The relationship has developed thanks to our unique ability to model long term revenue streams and prove the financial viability of energy storage for investors. As the UK’s largest and most established energy storage provider, we’ve been able to create the industry’s most accurate modelling tool. It can be used to predict whole life cost, IRR and long term revenue streams – all crucial information that sets us apart from every other developer in the country.”

Anesco has 29 operational energy sites sites, comprising of 76 individual battery units, with a combined capacity of 87MW. A healthy order book is likely to see the total capacity installed by the company exceed 380MW by 2020.

In September 2017, Anesco constructed the UK’s first subsidy-free solar farm. The company remains the only renewables developer to have retrofitted solar farms with energy storage units.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anesco Limited .