Wedoany.com Report-Mar 4, Zenobe has started the operation of a 200MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Blackhillock in Scotland.

The 400MWh BESS was supplied by Wartsila and is one of the largest grid batteries in operation in Europe.

It is the first project delivered under the Network Options Assessment (NOA) Stability Pathfinder programme, promoted by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) in Scotland to improve the long-term stability of the electricity system.

Owned and operated by Zenobe, the BESS will assist the grid operator in the management of challenges related to balancing supply and demand, power stability, and constraints.

The Blackhillock site will provide stability services to NESO, making renewable power more reliable and secure.

The stability services include short-circuit level and true synthetic inertia, which are essential for the grid to function efficiently as the UK moves towards phasing out fossil fuel power plants.

According to Zenobe, the site is expected to save consumers over £170m over the next 15 years.

“Our batteries at Blackhillock are the first to use advanced power electronics to enable a much higher uptake of renewable power on the grid.

“This dramatically reduces costs to consumers and increases reliability.

“Zenobē is the first to deliver this capability at scale and we are helping the UK to become more competitive through increasing the availability of clean, affordable power," said James Basden, Founder and Director, Zenobe.

The Blackhillock site is ideally suited to integrate wind power from three major nearby offshore wind farms in the North Sea, thereby helping address grid congestion.

Wartsila is supplying a second project to Zenobe.

Kilmarnock South, also delivered under the Stability Pathfinder programme, is a 300MW/600MWh storage system built with Wartsila's Quantum High Energy storage system and is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.