Rolls-Royce has begun construction on an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction EPC contract from leading battery energy storage platform Voltaria Helios Energy Storage to supply a large-scale battery energy storage facility in Falkirk, Scotland. This is the first large battery energy storage project by Rolls-Royce in the UK and will help stabilize the grid and support the UK’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
The mtu EnergyPack, with a capacity of 86 MWh and an output of 43 MW – which is equivalent to the demand of around ten thousand homes or a large industrial site – will connect to the grid in 2026 and come online in 2027. It will store electrical energy during periods of high renewable energy production and feed it back into the grid during peak demand. The battery storage will facilitate additional renewable generation by avoiding uneconomical turn-down of wind generation. Rolls-Royce will maintain the system for 15 years.
The UK is considered Europe’s most mature market for battery energy storage systems, and it continues to grow rapidly. With its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, the UK has set a target of providing 27 gigawatts (GW) of battery storage capacity by 2030, primarily for grid-connected applications to support carbon-free electricity supply. This capacity will help balance supply and demand, maximize electricity generation from renewable sources by reducing the requirement for expensive curtailment of renewable generation, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.