EIG's Fidra Energy and Sungrow Enter into a 4.4GWh energy storage cooperation agreement

On November 18, 2024, Fidra Energy and Sungrow announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement for 4.4 GWh of energy storage to support Fidra's plan to establish a 10 GW battery energy storage system (BESS) platform in the UK and other European markets by 2030 ("the Agreement").

Under the agreement, Sungrow will supply Fidra's two UK sites—3.3 GWh Thorpe Marsh and 1.1 GWh West Burton C—with the liquid-cooled energy storage system (ESS) PowerTitan 2.0. The initial operating duration of both systems will be two hours, with the potential to extend to four hours. Sungrow will also provide long-term maintenance services for these projects, helping to establish these two flagship independent energy storage plants in the UK.

The first site where Fidra will install the Sungrow PowerTitan 2.0 system will be the flagship Thorpe Marsh development in South Yorkshire. Thorpe Marsh is set to become one of the largest battery storage sites in the world, with the capacity to power up to 800,000 UK households during peak electricity demand periods. Construction of the site is scheduled to begin in 2025.

The second power plant will be located at West Burton C in Nottinghamshire. This project is expected to provide electricity to up to 300,000 households during peak demand periods. Construction is planned to start in 2026.

As the largest energy storage plant in Europe, the project will deploy 880 sets of Sungrow PowerTitan 2.0 liquid-cooled energy storage systems. Through simplified product design and grid-forming storage technology, the systems will significantly improve operational efficiency and enhance grid stability and flexibility. The project is expected to start construction in 2025, and once operational, it will supply power to 1.1 million UK households.

Fidra Energy is supported by EIG, one of the world's leading energy infrastructure investors, and has very stringent requirements for partner qualifications and professional capabilities. Its CEO, Chris Elder, stated, "Energy storage is a proven, cost-effective, and flexible technology that is critical to Europe's energy transition. Our strategic focus is to bring more large-scale storage systems to the market by developing large grid-side projects. Sungrow's grid-forming storage technology will support our growth goals in the UK and Europe."