Zenobe has announced the acquisition of a 400MW ready-to-build battery energy storage system (BESS) in Low Harker, Cumbria from Innova, one of the largest developers of renewable energy and data centres in the UK.
The acquisition demonstrates Zenobē’s continuing commitment to help deliver on the UK’s ambitious goal of having 25GW of BESS capacity by 2030, up from 6GW today.
The site has a 2028 connection date and its acquisition was enabled by the government’s decision to continue with a national rather than a zonal approach to electricity pricing.
Innova has been developing the Harker site since 2022 and achieved planning consent on the project In October 2023. The Harker substation location is key for power flows and solving locational constraints, ultimately reducing costs for consumers. The Harker project will have the capability to provide inertia and reactive power services which are required to manage the network in the regionfollowing the retirement of plants such as the Heysham nuclear power station.
In addition to enhancing the security of the network, the project has committed to a series of community and charitable benefit schemes designed to support local organisations and initiatives. These arrangements, developed in-line with Innova’s
Community Promise, will be delivered by Zenobē and involve Rockcliffe and Westlinton Parish Councils, Rockcliffe Community Centre, and The Country Trust. The funding is intended to contribute to community wellbeing and charitable
objectives over the life of the project.
Commenting, Zenobē’s Global Director of Network Infrastructure Semih Oztreves said: “The Harker project marks another milestone in delivering the flexible, resilient energy infrastructure the UK needs to accelerate its transition to net zero. We’re excited to take forward the development of this strategically important site and are committed to engaging with the local community to ensure the project delivers meaningful benefits throughout its lifetime. Over the coming months, our team will focus on securing long-term Route to Market and supply chain partners – we look forward to engaging with the market on this. The site reflects our long-term commitment to developing, owning and operating battery solutions that support the energy transition without reliance on government subsidies.”
For more information, please visit www.zenobe.com/ and www.innova.co.uk.
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