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50MW Zenobē battery in Scotland goes live

Zenobē’s 50MW battery in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire has gone live, the first of the company’s £750 million portfolio of battery storage projects in Scotland to begin operation.

The battery can store enough wind energy to power 130,000 homes for two hours and will “significantly curb the waste of homegrown renewable energy”, a Zenobē statement said.

The statement added: “So far this year, Great Britain has wasted 2,200 GWh of wind power – enough to have powered all the homes in Glasgow and Edinburgh for one year. Wastage occurs when wind turbines are paid to switch off due to a lack of network and storage capacity. By reducing the need to pay wind generators to switch off their turbines – known as curtailment costs – the Wishaw battery will pass on £41m in savings to consumers over 15 years. This represents a significant step in integrating renewable energy into the UK grid.”

Zenobē’ said the battery in Wishaw is one of the largest ever constructed in Scotland and is the first to connect directly to the transmission network. 

James Basden, co-founder of Zenobē, said: "The Wishaw site inauguration represents a significant milestone for Zenobē and Scotland's renewable energy ambitions as we seek to double Scotland’s storage power capacity. Battery storage is essential if the UK is to improve its energy security and bring down costs for consumers. By capturing and storing excess energy with sites like Wishaw, we can power homes, buses and trucks with energy that would otherwise have been wasted.”

Scottish Government Energy and the Environment Minister Gillian Martin said: “The Scottish Government is committed to reaching net zero by 2045. Scotland has an abundance of renewable energy resources, but that has to be matched with the supporting infrastructure necessary to ensure that we can make the most of it. This major investment in storage facilities is already helping bring down energy bills and emissions and will play a crucial role in further decarbonising our energy system.

This announcement follows Zenobē recently securing an investment of around £600 million from global investment firm KKR, in addition to a further £270 million from existing shareholder Infracapital.

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