Progress of uk energy storage lithium battery projects

Does the UK have a sluggish battery deployment?

Yet in the UK, it is a different story. Deployment has been sluggish. Since 2021, when Masdar decided to invest £1bn in 3GWh of battery storage projects nationwide, progress has been stifled by systemic constraints.

How many battery storage projects are there?

The pipeline of battery storage projects has continued to grow steadily again, from 84.4GW in December 2023 to 95.5GW in May 2024. This edition of the EnergyPulse report on Energy Storage shows there is 8.7GW of batteries in operation and under construction and more than 30GW projects have now been consented.

How many GW of prequalified battery energy storage systems are there?

Out of 6.9 GW of prequalified battery energy storage systems (BESS), equal to 1.9 GW derated capacity, about 1.8 GW of derated BESS secured 15-year contracts in the UK’s T-4 auction – nearly double last year’s volume. Just a week earlier, the T-1 auction also set a record for BESS procurement. From ESS News

Is the battery storage pipeline growing in the UK?

This report will be launched to coincide with Clean Power Grid Conference 2025, 1 May 2025 at the IET, London. Overall though, the breakdown of the battery storage pipeline in the UK indicates a position of growth, with a large proportion of the pipeline capacity in early development, in planning and consented stages.

Where are battery storage projects commissioned?

Over the last decade, England has seen the majority of commissioning of battery storage projects (83% since 2013). However, in the past 4 years Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all seen commissioning taking place, accounting for 20% of commissioned capacity in that time.

How much battery storage capacity does the UK have?

The UK’s total battery storage project pipeline currently contains a total of 127GW of capacity. Figure 1 demonstrates the amount of capacity at each development stage as a proportion of the total pipeline. 8% of the capacity pipeline in the UK is operational or under construction, with 31% approved and yet to begin construction.