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Zenobē starts construction of Scotland’s first transmission-connected battery

As featured in The Scotsman, Business Green, Renews.bizIJGlobal and Smart Energy International .

  • Zenobē has started construction of the first battery to connect directly to the transmission system in Scotland to ensure the safe supply of power as the country moves to nearly total renewable energy in the next decade
  • At 50MW/100MWh, this is the largest battery to be built in Scotland to date – and is a precursor for even larger projects Zenobē will be delivering in Scotland in the next three years
  • Zenobē has chosen Centrica, Fluence and H&MV as its key suppliers for the project in Wishaw and Santander UK as its funding partner
  • The site will enable 640GWh more renewable generation to travel from north to south over the next 15 years, delivering clean and secure energy at a lower cost to consumers
  • The battery is the first ever to be used as part of National Grid ESO’s Constraints Management pathfinder project, a scheme set up to secure power supply for Glasgow and the surrounding the region
  • Zenobē, the battery storage and EV fleet specialist, has reached financial close on its 50MW battery project in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire.

The battery, which will be the largest in Scotland when commissioned, has started construction with plans to go live by the end of 2022. It will be the first in Scotland to ease constraints directly from the transmission network, helping to push down energy prices for consumers and accelerate the country’s uptake of renewable energy.

Zenobē is working with Centrica as the route to market provider, entering a long-term floor contract which will see Centrica optimise the battery and open access to a variety of revenue streams for the asset. Fluence has been appointed as the Battery Energy Storage System supplier, and H&MV as the Principal Designer and Contractor. The project is being financed by Santander UK.

The project at Wishaw near Glasgow is a significant step for Scotland as it drives towards its 2045 net-zero target, one of the most ambitious in the world. Over the next 15 years, the site will enable 640GWh more renewable generation to travel from north to south and is forecast to remove 450,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, equivalent to the amount that would be removed by planting 7,500 acres of new, European broadleaf forest or taking 18,000 diesel and petrol cars off the road.

The battery will be used as part of National Grid ESO’s Constraints Management pathfinder project, helping increase transmission capacity for the region. This makes it the first battery in the UK to act as a flexibility tool to manage constraints.

James Basden, Co-founder and Director of Zenobē, says:

“This project demonstrates real innovation. Scotland is leading the world in its move to renewable energy and Zenobē is proud to be providing the critical infrastructure needed for the country’s clean energy transition. Alongside our partners Fluence, Centrica, H&MV and Santander UK, we’re increasing flexibility of power supply for Glasgow and the wider network and so allowing a greater uptake of renewable energy.

“The battery at Wishaw is the first of a series of major battery flexibility projects by Zenobē and part of the c. £500 million we intend to invest in Scotland in the next five years.”.”

Marek Kubik, Managing Director UK, Ireland & Israel, Fluence, commented:

“We are pleased to be working with Zenobē to deliver the largest battery-based energy storage system to date in Scotland and the first to be connected directly to the transmission system in the country.

“The project in Wishaw will use the highly configurable Gridstack product with intelligent edge controls that is designed for the most demanding market applications and grid services. With the 50MW system being deployed in less than one year, Scotland will be able to benefit from the addition of low-cost, zero-emissions capacity in the near term while it builds towards its 2045 net-zero target.”

Mark Cumbo, Director, Specialised & Project Finance, Santander UK, said:

“We are delighted to provide Zenobē with funding to support its latest battery storage facility in Wishaw, following the finance we provided it last year to support construction of its flagship battery at Capenhurst. Santander UK strongly supports clients such as Zenobē that are bringing positive environmental change to the UK’s energy sector.”

Arno Van Mourik, Director of Centrica Business Solutions International, said:

“We’re delighted to support Zenobē with multi-market optimization services. We’ll leverage our proprietary FlexPond™ platform and trading capabilities to be in the right market at the right time, unlocking greater returns over the lifetime of the project, while supporting the decarbonisation of our power system.”

Asad Babadi, UK Managing Director, H&MV Engineering, said:

“H&MV Engineering are delighted to be engaged by Zenobē on another key project in the delivery of their Battery Storage pipeline. Our company is internationally accepted as a market leading, trusted supply chain partner for renewable developers & operators. H&MV have successfully connected over 1.5 GW of renewable electricity to the grid with quality and safety always forefront. These are exciting times for H&MV Engineering as we expand our reach throughout the UK and with that comes job creation and further growth. 2022 sees us celebrate our 25th year in business and we are very pleased to be playing a part in the UK’s net zero strategy ambition.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information, please contact: zenobe@standagency.com

About Zenobē Energy Ltd. (Zenobē):

Zenobē is an international EV fleet and battery storage specialist, headquartered in the UK with operations in Europe and Australasia. It has c.235 MW of contracted storage assets and 1GW in development, around 25% market share of the UK EV bus sector and c.540 electric vehicles contracted globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV buses in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Zenobē’s fleet solution is driving the adoption of electric vehicles and reducing emissions from the transport and logistics sectors. Its ETaaS (Electric Transport-as-a-Service) solution provides fleet operators and local authorities with a full solution for a pay-per-month fee including charging infrastructure, battery replacement and award-winning software.  The company’s pioneering battery storage offering enables power grid operators to provide clean, secure and affordable power, accelerating the global transition to Net Zero energy systems. Zenobē is also a leader in repurposing EV batteries after their first life, providing incremental power solutions to large business and the film and events industries.

About Santander UK:

Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 31 December 2021, the bank had around 19,200 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.

About Fluence:

Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) is a global market leader in energy storage products and services, and digital applications for renewables and storage. With a presence in 30 global markets, Fluence provides an ecosystem of offerings to drive the clean energy transition, including modular, scalable energy storage products, comprehensive service offerings, and the Fluence IQ Platform, which delivers AI-enabled digital applications for managing and optimising renewables and storage from any provider. The company is transforming the way we power our world by helping customers create more resilient and sustainable electric grids. For more information, visit our website, or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Centrica Business Solutions:

Centrica Business Solutions is part of Centrica, a leading energy services and solutions provider founded on a 200-year heritage of serving people. We analyse, finance, install, operate & optimise energy, working across energy sources to transform the way businesses acquire, consume and manage their power. We work with businesses across the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America. Combining colleague’s expertise and a range of integrated energy solutions – such as efficiency and insights, electric vehicle enablement, solar, heat pumps and batteries, as well as business energy supply – we help commercial, industrial and public sector organisations become more efficient, resilient and sustainable. In the UK, we manage a portfolio of our own and customer-owned flexible power assets, which respond to peaks in demand to provide grid stability. Our purpose of helping customers live sustainably, simply and affordably drives our strategy and our People and Planet Plan.

About H&MV:

H&MV Engineering is a market leading, trusted partner for Mission Critical facilities, Renewable Developers, Transmission and Distribution Utilities globally. Our ingenuity is developed and strengthened by 3 decades of experience delivering EPC projects across the world.  We have active sites and offices across the EMEA region, where our local expert staff providing engineering solutions to our clients. Harnessing our global experience with local expertise, from concept design, planning, to project execution and beyond, H&MV is a brand you can trust to power your business wherever you require. H&MV Engineering are a certified Carbon Neutral Organisation, committed to being environmentally responsible with a driving ambition to continually foster sustainable initiatives.

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Peter Smith

Head of Product

Pete leads Zenobē’s growing team of Product specialists across all areas of the business. His team oversee our R&D as well as product development in both hardware and software.

 

He has been working in the European E-Mobility sector from over ten years, specialising in the design, build and delivery of software systems for EV Charging.