Lakeside Energy Park’s BESS project connects to grid

Lakeside Energy Park’s 100 MW facility is now the largest transmission connected BESS project in the UK following energisation.

The new facility will boost the capacity and flexibility of the network, helping to balance the system by soaking up surplus clean electricity and discharging it back when the grid needs it.

To ensure a safe connection, National Grid, working with its contractor Omexom, upgraded its Drax 132 kV substation to accommodate the additional clean power.

Works included extending the busbars – which enable power flows from generation source on to power lines – upgrading busbar protection and substation control systems, and installing an operational tripping scheme, all of which helps keep the network stable and operating securely.

Owned and operated by TagEnergy – with Tesla, Habitat Energy and RES as project partners – the newly-connected battery will help exploit the clean electricity potential of renewable projects in the region, storing, and releasing green energy to power homes and businesses and also helping to relieve any system constraints.

National Grid’s adjacent Drax 400 kV substation already hosts the connection for Drax power station – the UK’s largest biomass facility – and will also connect the Eastern Green Link 2 electrical superhighway when it starts importing clean energy from Scotland in 2029.

Mark Brindley, Portfolio Director for Northern Regions at National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “Battery storage technologies play an essential part in delivering a net-zero energy system in Britain, so connecting Lakeside BESS to our transmission network is a key moment in the pursuit of those clean energy targets.

“Our Drax substation originally connected a coal plant in the seventies, and is now playing an important role in the energy transition – connecting not only the country’s biggest battery, but also its largest biomass power plant. As the transition progresses, connecting a diverse mix of renewable technologies will be crucial in supporting the UK’s bold net zero ambitions.”

Franck Woitiez, CEO at TagEnergy, added: “For a while, Lakeside will be the largest transmission connected BESS project in the UK, and it is an important project that truly moves the needle for the energy transition.

“We’re proud to have delivered the project efficiently, energised and connected onto National Grid’s transmission network without significant delays or operating issues. That is exactly what is needed to speed the transition.

“We’re pleased to be working with our Lakeside project partners Habitat Energy, Tesla, and RES to realise the full value of battery storage by connecting more people to more renewable power in our relentless pursuit of net zero.”

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