Fidra Energy has reached financial close on its West Burton C battery energy storage project in Nottinghamshire.
Building on the successful financing and construction of its Thorpe Marsh project in South Yorkshire, West Burton C is a 500MW/1.1GWh battery energy storage project developed by Fidra, which is located on the site of the former West Burton coal power station, adjacent to the site selected for the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant. The project forms part of Fidra’s UK battery energy storage pipeline, which now exceeds 4GW.
Construction of West Burton C will begin later this year and is expected to become fully operational in 2028. In addition to the investment by EIG and the National Wealth Fund, the project will be funded by new loan facilities of £231 million from a club of international lenders[1]. The loan facilities comprise a term loan and ancillary facilities. Nomura Greentech and EIG acted as financial advisers to Fidra Energy on the debt raise for West Burton C.
Fidra’s main contracting partners are Sungrow, a global leader in energy storage technology, who will supply its batteries for the project and H&MV Engineering who will be the principal designer and contractor of the 400kV grid connection, electrical scheme, and for the erection and commissioning of the Sungrow battery systems.
Fidra has signed a long-term offtake agreement with Drax Group for 50% of the project’s capacity. In March 2025, the project secured a fifteen-year capacity market award from the UK Government commencing in October 2028.
Chris Elder, Chief Executive Officer of Fidra Energy, said: “Today’s milestone marks another major achievement for Fidra Energy. This project is expected to deliver flexible and affordable electricity storage utilising existing infrastructure at a site with a long history of power generation.
We are delighted to have secured the support of existing and new lenders to fund the construction of this project, one of the largest battery energy storage sites in the UK, alongside commitments from EIG and the National Wealth Fund”.
Walid Mouawad, Global Head of Energy Transition, EIG, added: “Reaching financial close on West Burton C marks another key milestone for Fidra Energy and reflects the platform’s continued progress in developing large-scale battery storage projects in the UK. This financing demonstrates again the depth of institutional appetite for high-quality battery storage infrastructure and the sector’s role in supporting a more flexible power system.”
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