Zenobē has today announced it has reached financial close and begun construction of its latest battery storage system in Eccles, Scotland. Planned to go live in early 2027, the site provides the critical infrastructure the UK government needs to deliver on its Clean Power by 2030 ambition.
At 400MW/800MWh, the Eccles site demonstrates the increased scale of battery projects on the transmission network and the announcement brings Zenobē’s live and contracted portfolio of projects in Scotland to 1.05GW, an over twentyfold increase since announcing its 50MW Wishaw project in East Ayrshire in 2022.
The total debt raised for the project comes to £220 million, representing Zenobē’s largest debt raise for a single asset. The project’s financing is being provided by a group of lenders, arranged by National Westminster Bank Plc and KKR Capital Markets Partners LLP.
Tesla will supply its Megapack 2 XL battery energy storage system for the project, enabling Zenobē to remotely monitor, operate, and diagnose the equipment. This is the first project in the UK to use Tesla’s grid-forming technology, currently used in the US and Australia, and demonstrates the importance of this technology in providing stability to the grid. The site balance of plant will be constructed by OCU Group, who are also principal designer and responsible for the electrical and civil works. Hyosung Heavy Industries are providing the super grid transformers which will connect the battery storage system to the transmission network.
Through a dedicated contract the Eccles site will provide Stability Services to the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to improve the reliability and affordability of the UK’s increasingly renewable power system. This is the third contract of this type to be won by Zenobē and includes 2984MWs of inertia – almost 40% of the inertia contracted in the 2022 Stability Pathfinder 2 tender. Zenobē will also provide 936MVA of short circuit level.
The site will ensure renewable power like wind and solar are not wasted. It is estimated it will save consumers £309 million over 15 years once operational. It will also prevent approximately 4.9 million tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere during this period by integrating more wind power onto the transmission network.
Commenting, Zenobē’s Global Director of Network Infrastructure, Semih Oztreves, said,“Having just announced that we’ve gone live at Blackhillock, and with our 300MW/600 MWh Kilmarnock South battery on track to go live in 2026, achieving financial close on Eccles demonstrates the pace at which Zenobē Is working to deliver the Government’s Clean Power 2030 mission.
We look forward to working with experts at Tesla, Hyosung Heavy Industries and OCU Group to deliver this critical infrastructure. Zenobe is working to prevent not only unnecessary cost from the waste of renewable power but also to enhance the UK’s energy security by increasing the use of home grown power in these uncertain political times”.
Mike Snyder Vice President Energy & Charging, Tesla, said: “This is the first project in the UK using Tesla’s proven Grid-Forming technology – and demonstrating its efficacy at scale. Zenobē’s commitment to innovation and operational expertise make them a strong partner as we continue to develop and deploy new technologies to improve grid stability.”
