Fidra Energy has reached financial close on its 500MW/1.1GW-hour (GWh) West Burton C battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Nottinghamshire, England.
The European BESS developer, headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, and supported by EIG and the National Wealth Fund (NWF), announced the milestone as part of its growing UK infrastructure pipeline, which now exceeds 4GW.
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The West Burton C facility will be located at the site of a former coal power station, next to the UK’s planned prototype fusion energy facility.
Construction is expected to begin later in 2026, with the facility becoming fully operational in 2028.
According to Fidra, once completed, the battery installation is expected to be able to supply electricity to approximately 300,000 homes during peak demand periods.
The development is being funded through new loan facilities totalling £231m ($311m), provided by a consortium of international lenders. This financing is in addition to investment commitments already secured from EIG and the NWF.
Nomura Greentech and EIG served as financial advisers to Fidra for the West Burton C debt raise. The total investment involved in the project is estimated to be around £250m.
Sungrow will supply batteries for the West Burton C site, while H&MV Engineering has been appointed as the principal designer and contractor responsible for the 400kV grid connection and commissioning of the battery systems.
Fidra has also entered into a long-term offtake agreement with Drax Group for 50% of the project’s capacity.
The project secured the UK Government’s 15-year capacity market award in March 2025, which is set to commence in October 2028.
Fidra Energy CEO Chris Elder 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.”
Fidra’s progress on West Burton C follows the acquisition last month of the Enderby BESS project in Leicestershire, UK, from energy developer Innova.
The UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan has highlighted the role of short-duration battery storage, with an operational target of 22–27GW by 2030.
