en.Wedoany.com Reported - Fidra Energy has reached financial close on the West Burton C Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Nottinghamshire, England. The project has a capacity of 500 MW / 1.1 GWh.
The European BESS developer, headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, and backed by EIG and the National Wealth Fund (NWF), announced this development. Fidra Energy's pipeline of infrastructure projects in the UK now exceeds 4 GW.
The West Burton C facility will be built on the site of a former coal-fired power station, adjacent to the UK's planned prototype fusion energy facility. Construction is expected to commence later in 2026, with the facility becoming fully operational in 2028.
Project funding comes from a new loan facility totaling £231 million ($311 million) provided by a syndicate of international lenders. This financing is in addition to the investment commitments already secured from EIG and NWF. Nomura Greentech and EIG acted as financial advisors to Fidra for the West Burton C debt financing. The total investment involved in the project is estimated at approximately £250 million.
Sungrow will supply the batteries for the West Burton C site, and H&MV Engineering has been appointed as the principal designer and contractor responsible for the 400 kV grid connection and commissioning of the battery system. Fidra has also entered into a long-term offtake agreement with Drax Group for 50% of the project's capacity.
The project was awarded a 15-year Capacity Market agreement by the UK government in March 2025, which is scheduled to commence in October 2028.
Chris Elder, CEO of Fidra Energy, stated that this milestone represents another achievement for the company. The project is expected to leverage existing infrastructure at a site with a long history of power generation to provide flexible and cost-effective electricity storage. The company expressed satisfaction in securing support from both existing and new lenders to finance the construction of one of the UK's largest battery storage sites, alongside commitments from EIG and the National Wealth Fund.
Fidra's progress on the West Burton C project follows the acquisition of the Enderby BESS project in Leicestershire, UK, from energy developer Innova last month. The UK government's "Clean Power 2030 Action Plan" highlights the role of short-duration battery storage and sets an operational target of 22-27 GW by 2030.
