Leading operator secures grid connection agreement for 100MW battery storage project near Sleaford
A leading battery energy storage operator has secured a infrastructure agreement with the National Grid, to accelerate the development of a new renewable energy project in Sleaford over the next five years.
The Grid Offer Notifications (GONs) agreed with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) will now enable Root-Power to build and connect 13 Battery Energy Storage System facilities in the UK to the National Grid.
The BESS project near Little Hale will have a 100-megawatt (MW) capacity and 200MWh of storage, sufficient to power 200,000 homes for two hours.
The development of the Little Hale project began in October 2023 and is expected to be operational by mid-2028. Root Power says it will safeguard the needs of thousands of business and residential energy users during peak demand. It will also help reduce price volatility and prevent blackouts that cause disruption to local communities and costly downtime for businesses in that area.
The new BESS site is claimed to provide a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) of more than 40 per cent, involving planting schemes to reduce visual impact developed in collaboration with the district council.
The location for the development was carefully chosen because of its proximity to Bicker Fen grid connection to the energy network. The area has seen extensive development in recent years, with a large solar farm development and an existing onshore wind farm in the vicinity, along with a number of other planning applications for energy infrastructure projects ongoing in the local area.
Neil Brooks, managing director at Root Power said: “Securing these grid agreements is a game-changer for us as a business as we look to operate at scale and build a portfolio of BESS facilities that supplies over 1.7GW of power to communities by 2031. Without them, our Sleaford site simply cannot operate or go into construction, regardless of planning permission.
“Each project that we can now progress will greatly benefit the wider economy and help the UK to transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy system as part of the government’s CP2030 reforms over the next five years.
“We’re proud to be at the forefront of driving grid transformation that will modernise the electricity network and enable it to quickly connect and manage high volumes of low-carbon energy production, storage and demand. This is down to the hard work of our team in securing this successful outcome and our commitment to accelerating flexible, renewable energy projects across the UK.”
Root-Power is part of the YLEM Group and plays a key role in storing and integrating renewable energy within the National Grid.