The 50 MW/100 MWh lithium-ion battery storage facility in Sundon is expected to begin construction in early 2023, with the aim of being connected to National Grid’s Sundon substation later that year. Once constructed, Pivot Power will also develop a private wire for electric vehicle (EV) charging.

In Indian Queens, Pivot Power will share a grid connection with two other developers, including Renewable Connections, with whom Pivot Power submitted a joint planning application. The companies have received consent for a 50 MW/100 MWh battery each for construction and connection to the National Grid in 2024. Pivot Power will also add a private wire once the battery is live to bolster the EV charging infrastructure in Cornwall.

The two projects form part of Pivot Power’s nationwide rollout of ‘energy superhubs’, designed to deliver up to 2 GW of transmission-connected battery storage and high-volume power connections.

Alongside a similar site in the West Midlands, which started construction last year, the Sundon and Indian Queens battery storage facilities will replicate core elements of Pivot Power’s Energy Superhub Oxford project.

Pivot Power chief executive Matt Allen said: “Today’s energy infrastructure is not equipped to support the massive transition to renewables that we need to see in the coming decades. Grid flexibility is essential to future-proof our electricity system and help deliver secure, affordable, low carbon power. Pivot Power’s smart power infrastructure will help to manage the intermittency of renewables and improve the resilience of the UK’s electricity system. Working closely with local councils, we will help to create a smarter, more flexible grid and supercharge the path to net zero.”

Renewable Connections development director John Leith said: “The Indian Queens consent is particularly important to us because it marks an important milestone in developer and grid operator collaboration. We have worked closely with Pivot Power and National Grid to design and consent a combined battery storage asset suitable for connection at the end of the transmission network in Cornwall. And, along with Pivot Power’s private wire to support the role out of electric vehicle charging, Renewable Connections are developing a private wire system to connect to one of its solar farm generation assets in Cornwall. This means that not only can our battery storage asset offer grid services and improve resilience, it can do so using locally sourced renewable energy which reduces emissions as well as dependence on imported power in Cornwall.” 

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