NatPower reveals £10 billion plan for 60 GWh battery storage capacity across UK

NatPower UK, the British arm of European clean energy developer NatPower Group, has announced plans to invest over £10 billion developing battery energy storage systems across the country. The company said it was eyeing 60 GWh of new battery capacity and had also allocated £600 million towards development of new substations in the UK electricity grid.

Fabrizio Zago, CEO of NatPower Group, commented: "Today we present the largest programme for the development of battery energy storage systems for over 60 GWh in the UK and we are ready to collaborate with institutions and players in the sector to make the energy production system increasingly efficient."

Stefano DM Sommadossi, CEO of NatPower UK, added: "When it comes to resources, skills, policies and investments, the UK is unrivaled and companies like NatPower will help achieve the goal the country has set for itself."

NatPower UK said it will submit planning applications in the UK for three "giga parks", with a further 10 to follow next year. The NatPower Group is an independent clean energy developer founded in 2019 with a renewables pipeline totaling 30 GW. Its projects span Italy, the UK, Canada, the US, Kazakhstan, Tunisia and Chile.

Battery storage projects are a key part of the Britain's plan to decarbonize its power grid, forecast to account for three times the capacity of pumped hydro, which is the country's second biggest method of energy stotage.

Battery storage projects support the energy transition by storing the surplus energy generated by wind farms and solar projects for use in later hours.

NatPower UK, which said it would finance and own the projects, would also operate them in certain cases. The company said its investment in new substations was aimed at overcoming the bottleneck of grid-connectivity plaguing new renewable projects.

Sommadossi, said: "To solve the bottlenecks that are slowing the shift to clean energy, we will drive investment into the grid itself, collaborating with grid operators to deliver more than 20 percent of the new substations required."

"By investing in substations and focusing on energy storage first, we will enable the next phase of the energy transition and bring down the cost of energy for consumers," he added.