British developer Harmony Energy and US manufacturer Tesla have connected an unsubsidized 98 MW/196 MWh storage system to the UK grid. They claim it is the largest grid-connected BESS in Europe.

The Pillswood project uses Tesla’s 2-hour Megapack systems with the capacity to store up to 106 MWh of electricity in a single cycle. It will provide balancing services to the British grid, enabling the integration of renewable power.

The project is near Hull, East Yorkshire, next to the Creyke Beck substation, which will act as a grid- connection point for two phases of the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank.

Tesla built the project and will operate it through Autobidder, its algorithmic trading platform. Pillwood was originally supposed to be switched on over two phases in December 2022 and March 2023, but construction was accelerated to enable both phases to start operations in November.

“All stakeholders have recognized the importance of achieving energization for this project ahead of winter to ensure the BESS services can be provided during the initial winter months,” said Harmony Energy’s director Peter Kavanagh.

The company has five other BESS projects under construction, which it expects to switch on within the next year.