Fidra Energy reaches financial close on 500 MW West Burton C BESS project

Building on the financing and construction of its Thorpe Marsh project in South Yorkshire, West Burton C is a 500 MW/1.1 GWh battery energy storage project developed by Fidra, which is located on the site of the former West Burton coal power station, adjacent to the site selected for the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant. The project forms part of Fidra’s UK battery energy storage pipeline, which now exceeds 4 GW.

Construction of West Burton C will begin later in 2026 and is expected to become fully operational in 2028. In addition to the investment by EIG and the National Wealth Fund, the project will be funded by new loan facilities of £231 million from a club of international lenders. The loan facilities comprise a term loan and ancillary facilities. Nomura Greentech and EIG acted as financial advisers to Fidra Energy on the debt raise for West Burton C.

Fidra’s main contracting partners are Sungrow, a global leader in energy storage technology, who will supply its batteries for the project and H&MV Engineering who will be the principal designer and contractor of the 400 kV grid connection, electrical scheme, and for the erection and commissioning of the Sungrow battery systems.

Fidra has signed a long-term offtake agreement with Drax Group for 50% of the project’s capacity. In March 2025, the project secured a 15-year capacity market award from the UK Government commencing in October 2028.

BESS is expected to play a critical role in the UK’s energy transition by supporting greater integration of renewable generation into the grid, reducing curtailment, and enhancing system flexibility and resilience. The UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan envisages between 22 – 27 GW of short-duration battery storage operational by 2030.

Chris Elder, CEO of Fidra Energy, commented: “Today’s milestone marks another major achievement for Fidra Energy. This project is expected to deliver flexible and affordable electricity storage utilising existing infrastructure at a site with a long history of power generation. We are delighted to have secured the support of existing and new lenders to fund the construction of this project, one of the largest BESS sites in the UK, alongside commitments from EIG and the National Wealth Fund.”

Walid Mouawad, Global Head of Energy Transition, EIG, added: “Reaching financial close on West Burton C marks another key milestone for Fidra Energy and reflects the platform’s continued progress in developing large scale battery storage projects in the UK. This financing demonstrates again the depth of institutional appetite for high-quality battery storage infrastructure and the sector’s role in supporting a more flexible power system. We’re grateful to our banking partners for their continued support and partnership as Fidra Energy seeks to expand its portfolio and deliver on its growth strategy.”

Oliver Holbourn, CEO of the National Wealth Fund, noted: “We welcome this important milestone. As we highlighted in our most recent thought-leadership paper, building out the UK battery supply chain is essential to our national resilience, and storage is vital to a cleaner, more flexible electricity system. Our investment in Fidra Energy demonstrates the National Wealth Fund’s role in backing large scale and commercially viable projects that support the UK’s clean energy ambitions while helping to crowd in private capital.”

With construction well underway at Thorpe Marsh, the announcement marks the latest milestone in Fidra Energy’s UK growth strategy, following the recent acquisition of the 1 GW Enderby BESS project in Leicestershire and securing planning approval for the 1.2 GW Bicker Fen project in Lincolnshire.

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

Energy Global’s Summer 2026 issue

The Summer issue of 2026 is out now! The new issue starts with a regional report on Latin America and the Caribbean, considering the benefits and challenges of renewable energy development in the region. The issue also covers topics such as lubricants, digitalisation, the importance of ports, battery storage technology, and more! With contributors from industry leaders including ABB, WindEurope, Sungrow, among others, this is an issue not to miss.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/17072026/fidra-energy-reaches-financial-close-on-500-mw-west-burton-c-bess-project/