InterGen secures Capacity Market agreement for world-leading Gateway battery project

• Edinburgh-headquartered energy company InterGen has been awarded a Capacity Market contract for its Gateway battery energy storage project as part of the Government’s capacity annual auction.
• This is a 15-year contract which will cement the development of the project, the UK’s most advanced large scale battery storage project, which will store excess renewable energy and can provide rapid back-up power for the electricity grid during periods of excess demand.
• The Gateway Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is located at DP World London Gateway on the Thames Estuary in Essex and will be able to provide up to 320MW / 640MWh of power to over 300,000 homes and businesses, with the potential to expand to up to 450MW / 900MWh, providing much-needed flexibility for the UK power system.

InterGen’s Gateway battery storage project on the Thames Estuary has been awarded a 15-year agreement to supply the UK with power in the Government’s recent Capacity Market auction, run by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to ensure a reliable supply across the grid at lowest cost to customers.

The award represents a significant milestone for the c.£200 million project which first gained planning consent from BEIS in November 2020. Construction will commence in 2023 and the project will initially provide a minimum of 320MW of decarbonised electricity to over 300,000 homes and businesses, with the potential to grow to 450MW.

Set to be one of the UK and Europe’s largest, the battery can react quickly to meet excess demand for power from the electricity grid. This will provide much-needed flexibility for the UK’s increasingly decarbonised energy system on the journey to net zero.

The share of wind and solar power is increasing in the UK’s energy mix, but these sources only generate power when the wind blows or the sun shines. The use of batteries to store the excess power generated can help provide low carbon power to balance supply and demand with renewable power during periods of low output.

InterGen is also developing further largescale battery projects including at its site in Spalding, Lincolnshire, which could provide up to 550MW / 1,100MWh in capacity.

InterGen CEO Jim Lightfoot said:

“We are delighted with the result of the Capacity Market auction, which represents a big step forward for our Gateway storage project and for the country’s net zero target.

“Our mission is to deliver the flexible electricity solutions that everyone can rely on in a low carbon world and battery storage helps us do this.

“We are excited to be entering a new phase in the project’s development and will continue to explore opportunities to support the energy transition.”

Notes to editors:

• InterGen, headquartered in Edinburgh, is one of the UK’s leading independent energy generators, currently supplying around 5% of the country’s generating capacity from sites in Coryton (Essex), Spalding (Lincolnshire) and Rocksavage (Cheshire).
• The Gateway project has been granted consent as a variation to a prior Section 36 consent on the site, and also has an electrical connection agreement. A further planning application is being progressed to increase the capacity of the site.
• For Press Enquiries please contact Melissa McKerrow, mmckerrow@intergen.com.