Pivot Power places order with Wartsila for 100 MW of energy storage

Pivot Power, an EDF Renewables company, has placed an order with technology group Wartsila to deliver 100 MW of energy storage in the UK.

Pivot Power is developing a national network of grid-scale batteries and power connections to provide capacity for electric vehicle (EV) charging.

The two projects at Cowley in Oxford and Kemsley in Kent are expected to be operational before the end of this year. Wartsila will support the projects under 10-year service deals with flexible performance guarantees.

The two 50 MW lithium-ion batteries will be the first projects completed as part of Pivot Power’s program to develop, own and operate up to 2GW of grid-scale energy storage and high volume power connections which are connected to the UK high-voltage transmission system.

This is the largest energy storage deal in Europe for Wartsila.

Adrien Lebrun, Pivot Power’s Engineering Director said: “These Wartsila energy storage systems allow us to harness cutting-edge technology to future-proof our investments in a changing energy market, supporting our long-term goal to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint and bring us closer to net zero.”

The systems are based on Wartsila’s energy management software platform GEMS, which leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable the intelligent management of energy storage systems, and GridSolv modular storage solution, which supports stand-alone energy storage deployments and integrated hybrids with thermal or renewable generation assets.

Andrew Tang, vice president, Energy Storage and Optimisation, Wartsila Energy Business, said: “These projects will support a cost-effective, reliable and low-carbon energy system and promote the rapid adoption of clean transport in the UK.”

The contract is the first to be announced since EDF Renewables acquired Pivot Power in November 2019. It forms part of EDF Group’s Electricity Storage Plan under which it aims to be the leader in Europe with 10GW of additional storage by 2035.

It also supports EDF Electric Mobility Plan, to become the leading electric mobility company by 2022 in the UK, France, Italy and Belgium. Beyond this 2022 date, the Group’s goal is to provide power for 600,000 electric vehicles and 75,000 charging points.