SSE Renewables starts construction of 320 MW battery in UK

Once complete, in early 2026, the BESS being constructed by SSE Renewables in the English county of North Yorkshire will almost double the total size of battery assets the Scottish utility-owned business is building.

In a press release issued to announce the start of construction at Monk Fryston, SSE said its first BESS, a 50 MW site in Salisbury, England had entered full operation in 2024 and it was constructing two more 150 MW battery projects in England, at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire and Fiddler’s Ferry, near Warrington in Cheshire.

SSE said the Monk Fryston BESS, its largest such site and one of the biggest in the United Kingdom, will be able to power around 533,000 homes for up to two hours at a time, based on typical peak energy consumption figures published by UK regulator the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets.

The energy storage business of Chinese solar company Sungrow will supply the BESS at Monk Fryston and English infrastructure company Morrison Energy Services is principal contractor for the project.

Morrison Managing Director Donnie Whyte said, “Following our team commencing work in the spring of [2024], we have made significant progress in preparing the site for the upcoming works. We have been innovative across our construction methodology and ensured minimum impact to the environment … across all our activities.”