£62m battery energy storage development planned for Teesworks following EOS deal

A battery energy storage system from EOS, similar to one being planned for the Teesworks site.

A £62m storage facility is set to be built at the Teesworks site on Teesside, supporting more than 100 jobs.

Teesworks Ltd has struck a deal with battery storage specialist Energy Optimisation Solutions (EOS) to build a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a three-acre plot at the Long Acres section of the 2,500 acre Teesworks site.

The multimillion-pound facility will enable up to 100 Megawatts (MW) of additional green energy to be plugged into the grid, also helping to cut carbon emissions by 4,000 metric tons in a year. Battery storage technology is seen as essential to speeding up the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy, enabling energy from renewable sources including solar and wind, to be stored and released when needed most.

The announcement comes on the back of a number of renewable energy projects set to come to the Teesworks site, including plans for blue and green hydrogen production plants and the Net Zero Teesside carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project. In May it was also revealed at the UK REIIF conference that renewables developer NatPower plans to build a £1bn, 1GW battery energy storage system (BESS) at Teesworks.

Teesworks Limited chairman Chris Musgrave said: “This latest agreement will further enhance Teesworks’ credentials as a leading UK centre for the transition to Net Zero. Battery storage is an essential component in ensuring that energy needs can be met from renewable sources regardless of weather conditions. We’re looking forward to working with the team at EOS to bring their technology to Teesworks.”

A planning application for the development is currently being finalised by EOS. Once granted, the storage facility is expected to take 12 months to build, supporting more than 100 construction sector jobs.

Peter Walker, director at EOS, which has a number of battery storage projects already under way in the UK including a facility in South Wales, said: “We’re really looking forward to coming to Teesworks.

“With so much renewable energy development planned for the site, such a supportive environment and such an experienced team in charge, it makes for the ideal location for our next battery storage facility.

“If we as a country are going to hit our Net Zero ambitions then energy storage is absolutely essential. You can store water in reservoirs and gas in gasometers and LPG form so you can use those resources when you need them. Battery storage systems mean that you can do the same thing with energy generated from renewable sources.”