Masdar Arlington Energy, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, has broken ground at the sites of two new battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the UK.

The Royle Barn Road plant in Rochdale and Welkin Road plant in Stockport will have a combined capacity of 55MW and provide enough energy to power 25,700 homes.

The new BESS projects are being developed on previously industrialised sites, conforming to Masdar Arlington Energy’s strategy to house projects on land in need of redevelopment and regeneration.

Masdar Arlington Energy is pursuing an ambitious 3GWh pipeline of BESS projects in the UK. Today’s groundbreaking comes a year after Masdar announced the company’s commitment to invest £1 billion ($1.27 billion) in BESS in the UK.

Masdar Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, said: “To achieve the global energy transition agreed in the UAE Consensus, we need to utilise world-changing renewable energy sources and technology, including wind, solar and battery energy storage. The two BESS plants we are breaking ground on today underline the critical role energy storage will play in helping energy systems and infrastructure in the UK and across the globe to move away from carbon-intensive sources of power.”

Masdar Director, Global Offshore Wind & UK, Husain Al Meer, said: “Grid-level energy storage is critical to the long-term adoption of renewable energy in the grid. Our £1 billion investment in BESS in the UK highlights Masdar’s commitment to advancing storage solutions to help commercialise clean technologies. Today’s announcement adds to our growing portfolio of BESS projects around the globe with more to come in the future.”

BESS provides a solution to the intermittency issues which affect renewable energy sources, storing excess electricity generated by solar plants and wind farms to be distributed during the periods when they are unable to provide power.

Masdar’s acquisition of UK-based Arlington Energy in October 2022 acted as a springboard for the company’s shift from investor to an active developer and supporter of the UK’s energy transition through BESS and offshore wind. In 2021, Masdar established its global headquarters for offshore wind in the UK, recruiting dedicated teams to oversee its BESS and global offshore wind businesses.

As the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse and one of the world’s leading renewable companies, Masdar is at the forefront of advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges.

Established in 2006, Masdar is active in more than 40 countries and has more than 20GW of capacity including operational, under construction or advanced development projects in its worldwide portfolio. Masdar has invested, or committed to invest, in worldwide projects with a combined value of more than $30 billion with ambitious growth plans to reach 100GW by 2030.