Ørsted, a global leader in offshore wind energy, has held a ‘golden shovel’ ceremony to mark the start of construction of its first large-scale UK battery energy storage system (BESS). Located alongside Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm, near Norwich, the system will have a capacity of 600MWh and a 300MW power rating, equivalent to the daily power consumption of 80,000 UK homes.
The site, called Iceni after a Norfolk-based warrior tribe of the Roman era, it is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. Preparatory works are now complete and the Ørsted, Knights Brown and Tesla Iceni team will continue with the remainder of the installation. When completed, the battery energy storage system will be one of the largest in Europe.
Project manager Beatrice d’Eufemia said: “This is a very exciting project to be a part of, not only for Ørsted as it is our first large-scale battery installation in the UK, but also for the UK energy industry, as this project involves two generators using one shared grid connection. Success here, opens up the possibilities for increased use of existing grid infrastructure in the UK, which is critical when there is a real issue of congestion in the network.”
The battery energy storage system will also help make best use of the energy produced — when electricity generation exceeds demand, the battery will store the excess so that it can be discharged later to help balance the grid.