UK clean energy company Enviromena announced on Friday that its 30-MW/60-MWh battery project in Northumberland, North East England, will not be able to connect to the grid before 2036 due to ongoing grid reforms.
The West Sleekburn project, which secured planning permission in late 2022, originally planned to use a grid-connection point in Blyth as part of a national program for accelerated connections by transmission and distribution network operators. However, the Blyth point was removed from the specific scheme “due to technical reasons.”
Northern Powergrid (NPG), the network operator, informed Enviromena that the planned connection date for its battery has been delayed until October 2036. Adrian Pike, Director and Chairman of the Board at Enviromena, emphasized in a social media post that this is not a typo.
Enviromena's CEO, Chris Marsh, expressed disappointment with the latest delay, leaving a key project without a feasible connection date despite being ready for construction. Marsh added that despite the setback, the company remains hopeful that a favorable resolution can be found.
The West Sleekburn battery storage facility is intended for installation at a site previously earmarked for a gas hub. The GBP-130-million system was proposed to assist in balancing power supply during peak times.
