Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company ( Masdar ) has begun commercial operations at its battery energy storage system ( BESS ) facility in Stockport, northern England.

This is the first project to be completed under Masdar’s £1 billion ( US$1.35 billion ) commitment to invest in UK battery energy storage. The company will also develop two BESS projects in Cardiff and Chesterfield.

With a capacity of 20 megawatts/40 megawatt-hours, the Welkin Road, Stockport facility can store enough clean electricity to power 20,000 homes for over two hours. Construction began in May 2024.

The Chesterfield and Cardiff projects, which will have a combined capacity of 150MW and 300MWh, will together store enough electricity to power more than 35,000 UK homes for an entire day.

Critical role in energy transition

Following its acquisition of Arlington Energy in 2022, Masdar committed to investing £1 billion in a pipeline of 3 gigawatt-hours of BESS projects in the UK, part of the company’s wider commitment to the UK’s energy transformation. The UK government is aiming to build up to 27GW of battery storage by the end of the decade under its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

“Today’s announcements demonstrate that we are accelerating progress towards delivering on our £1 billion pipeline,” says Husain Al Meer, director, global offshore wind and the UK, at Masdar. “BESS is critical to helping the UK to transform its energy systems, unlock more renewables deployment, and bring tangible benefits to consumers, businesses, and local communities.”

The Welkin Road plant is located on a previously developed brownfield site in Stockport. The Chesterfield project will sit on land previously used for coal mining, and will transform the area into a hub for clean energy generation and storage. The Cardiff project is also situated on an industrial brownfield site, repurposing under-utilized land and avoiding the need for new greenfield development, while making efficient use of established utilities and access routes.

Masdar is a global leader in battery energy storage systems. In October, Masdar broke ground in Abu Dhabi on the world’s first gigascale 24/7 solar and battery storage project. The project will feature a 5.2GW solar plant, coupled with a 19GWh BESS, the largest and most technologically advanced system of its kind in the world, to deliver up to 1GW of baseload power every day.

Beyond battery storage, Masdar’s growing presence in the UK as a leading investor, developer, and operator in the offshore wind sector underscores its long-term commitment to supporting the country’s energy transformation.

Major projects in the UK market include a £5.2 billion co-investment with Iberdrola in the 1.4GW East Anglia Three offshore wind facility, which will provide enough power for 1.3 million British homes, and the 3GW Dogger Bank South offshore wind farm being developed in partnership with German company RWE.