Battery plant progresses

July 3 – A huge battery storage site at the former Uskmouth Power Station is progressing well. The site owner has now revealed plans to develop nearly 3.5 GWh of battery power on the site.
The first site will host two battery storage plants able to provide up to 460 MWh of stored off peak power to support the National Grid in the south western area for a 2 to 4 hour period balancing energy provision when other renewable resources are not available. The National Grid is seeking to reduce our reliance on gas to 5 per cent of electricity transmission by 2030. It is currently 29.6 per cent and falling. Ultimately reduced reliance on gas will lead to cheaper bills.
The developers of the Uskmouth site, SAE, have submitted reports to the Council regarding the material removed from the site as they prepare it for the batteries. The initial project -AW1 -will be operational in 2026. It has a grid connection due to the old power station so this should mean there are no delays in linking to the Grid.
The next AW2 project at 500MWh is being developed with a grid connection agreement of 2029 with the potential to expand up to 1GWh. The largest AW3 project at 1.4GWh is due in the 2030s.

Railway facilities on site mean that the impact on local roads due to the development are more limited. The civil engineer delivering the project, Jones Bros, stated “

Jones Bros also said: “The project uses existing infrastructure such as the grid connection, industrial water supplies, and railway access to deliver key components.

“Expected reduction in road transportation across the construction activity is 370,149km.”

Jones Bros contacts manager Rhys Roberts said: “It’s a fantastic scheme to be a part of as the country’s energy transition gathers speed. Helping turn a former coal-fired power station site into one that will play a significant role in supporting sources of renewable energy is wonderful for us as a company.”

SAE state 500 jobs will be created by the development.