German energy company BayWa r.e. has secured approval for a 57MW/171 megawatt-hour (MWh) stand-alone battery energy storage system (BESS) in Stockton-on-Tees in north-east England.

Known as Meadow Farm, the BESS facility is being built in partnership with German renewable energy developer Grüne Energien Solar.

The facility will be located on 5.72 hectares of land in the south-east of the Carrs angling lakes.

It is expected to help stabilise the local electricity system through flexibility while supporting the deployment of renewable power into the grid. The storage project also supports the UK’s move towards a cleaner environment and helps achieve its net-zero goals.

Construction will begin in the later part of 2025 with production from late 2026.

BayWa r.e. UK managing director John Milligan stated: “BESS facilities like Meadow Farm allow flexibility within the national electricity transmission, complementing renewable energy generation profiles.

“Having successfully secured planning approval for our first stand-alone BESS project in the UK reflects our ongoing dedication and growth in delivering innovative projects.”

BayWa r.e. EMEA storage head Julian Gerstner stated: “We are thrilled to bring our storage capabilities to the next level with our largest stand-alone storage project in the UK to date and one of our biggest in Europe.

“The development of large BESS projects – either connected with renewable energy plants or as stand-alone – demonstrates the full potential of green energy, bringing grid flexibility and stability as well as contributing significantly to the acceleration of the energy transition.”

Earlier in 2023, the company sold two solar projects in the UK; the 30MW Bracks solar project in Cambridgeshire and Scurf Dyke near Hull with 80MW of capacity.

Bracks was sold to the UK Railway Pension Scheme and Scurf Dyke was sold to re:cap global investors, a Swiss-based private investor.

The two projects are under construction and will be commissioned by the end of 2023.