Varco selects Fluence as storage provider for 137MWh UK project

UK-based battery energy storage asset owner and operator Varco Energy , has chosen Fluence Energy UK Ltd., a subsidiary of Fluence Energy, Inc. to provide one of its first battery-based energy storage systems in the UK. 

The 57 MW / 137.5 MWh project, named Sizing John, will be deployed at a substation in Rainhill, south of St Helens in Merseyside. 

In addition to providing services to the National Grid Energy System Operator (NGESO), the project will trade on wholesale power markets to help load shift excess renewable energy into periods of peak demand, as well as support energy security through participating in the capacity market.

The project has “pre-designed significant expansion capabilities to match a potential higher connection capacity expected in 2026, which would further help NGESO balance one of the most congested parts of the UK power grid, known as the ‘Mersey Ring’,” a statement said.

James Mills, director, Varco Energy, said: “Battery-based energy storage is critically needed infrastructure to help balance the intermittent nature of renewable energy generation and break the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with Fluence, an industry leader in safety standards, experience in the market, and speed and quality of deployments, for one of our first projects. At Varco we are committed to investing in assets that will accelerate renewable integration, sustain a resilient grid and drive consumer value in the UK. This project is one of the first of many as Varco seeks to deliver on its ambitions.”

Brian Perusse, managing director of Fluence Energy UK, added: “Sizing John is our first project in the British market with a duration of 2.4h, as we are committed to providing tailor-made solutions and applications our customers and markets need. For Fluence, Sizing John will be another project contracted or deployed in the UK and Ireland, with a current total company portfolio in those markets exceeding 1.4 GWh.”

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