RWE has reached a final investment decision on its 350MW Pembroke battery storage project in South Wales, the company said, marking one of its largest UK storage investments to date.
The project, valued at around £200 million, will form part of the Pembroke Net Zero Centre and was announced by the First Minister for Wales during the Wales Investment Summit, according to RWE. The development received planning approval in January and secured capacity in the latest UK Capacity Market auction. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2026, with commissioning expected in the second half of 2028, subject to an updated grid connection.
The two-hour system will be built on a 5.1-hectare site south of the existing Pembroke Power Station and will use 212 lithium-ion battery containers to provide 700MWh of storage. The project will also incorporate biodiversity measures including meadow creation, native woodland and scrub planting, and a new pond to support wildlife.
Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE, said battery systems play a crucial role as renewable power grows. “In a dynamic energy world with more and more renewable energy, there is an increasing need for mature technologies that can instantly support the electricity grid,” he said. “Battery storage systems are ideal for this because they are fast, efficient and competitive.”
Valerius added that the Pembroke facility is RWE’s “UK flagship storage project” and will help stabilise the national grid by “efficiently storing surplus energy and feeding it into the national grid in a targeted manner when required.”
Wales’s First Minister Eluned Morgan said the investment highlights the country’s role in the UK’s transition to clean energy. “The Pembroke Battery Storage facility will support our ambitions for a cleaner, more secure energy future while at the same time creating opportunities for good jobs and local communities across South Wales,” she said.
Tom Glover, RWE’s UK country chair, said Wales holds “significant potential” across multiple clean energy technologies. He noted that despite sector-wide challenges, the company sees “a government determined to unlock this opportunity for the benefit of communities across Wales—something we strongly support.”
