Capital Dynamics, an independent global private asset manager, has agreed to partner with Solo Renewables to deliver a potential £100 million long duration energy storage (LDES) system in Northern Ireland.
Once operational, and assuming one discharge per day, the project will be able to provide the energy used by up to 36 000 households per day.?
Located in Islandmagee, the project received planning approval from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in February 2026, just six months after submission. The 150 MW project can provide up to eight hours of storage capacity equivalent to 1200 MWh and is among the first large scale LDES storage sites to be developed in the Irish Single Electricity Market.
With recent and anticipated regulatory developments, including the Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee (REPG), encouraging further investment in wind and solar generation across Northern Ireland, energy storage is expected to play an increasingly important role in supporting the integration of renewable power into the grid. While short-duration battery energy storage system (BESS) projects already contribute to grid stability, under refined regulatory conditions, longer-duration storage can provide critical additional flexibility to help manage variability in renewable generation and support a secure and reliable electricity system.
As more renewable generation capacity comes online, additional flexibility will be required to support a grid that is already experiencing rising curtailment rates. LDES can help provide greater system balance by storing excess electricity when supply is high and releasing it when it is needed most. The project is designed to contribute to these efforts by providing significant large scale storage capacity that can support the grid stability that is essential to support the local economy and community.
With planning approval secured for the Islandmagee LDES, attention now turns to next steps. Capital Dynamics and Solo Renewables are committed to working constructively with all relevant authorities and stakeholders to progress the Islandmagee LDES as quickly as possible.
Barney Coles, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Clean Energy at Capital Dynamics, commented: “Long-duration storage has a critical role to play in supporting Northern Ireland’s energy transition and is a fast and efficient way to strengthen grid resilience as renewable generation continues to grow. Projects such as this can provide additional flexibility to help manage renewable variability, support grid stability, and improve the overall efficiency of the electricity system. The Islandmagee LDES project represents an important step in developing the long-duration storage infrastructure needed to support Northern Ireland’s evolving energy system. We look forward to working with Solo Renewables, our partners and with the system operator to help enable infrastructure that supports a reliable, secure, and increasingly low-carbon energy system for Northern Ireland.”
Andrew Hutchinson, Director at Solo Renewables, noted: “Securing planning approval in six months reflects the strength of this project and the local understanding that Islandmagee is one of the most strategically important locations in the all-island energy network. Northern Ireland has great potential to create and use more renewable electricity locally. This will be a good thing for homes and businesses across the region but can only happen if we increase our ability to store wind and solar energy that cannot be used at the time it is produced. We’re pleased Capital Dynamics sees the potential of the Islandmagee LDES project and are looking forward to delivering a landmark storage facility that supports the energy transition.”
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