Leading civil engineering and building contractor, Farrans, a Sisk Company, has commenced construction on Berkswell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the West Midlands of England for client BW ESS.
The 200 MW / 857 MWh project located close to Solihull is beginning to take shape, with early works progressing across the site. Once operational, Berkswell will have capacity to power over 500,000 homes for 4 hours.
Projects such as Berkswell play an important role in supporting a more flexible and reliable electricity system. Battery storage can respond quickly to changes in supply and demand, helping to balance the grid and support vital services such as frequency response, Dynamic Containment and the Capacity Market.
BW ESS is a global energy storage developer, owner and operator, moving with speed to deliver market-leading projects. Berkswell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) forms an important part of BW ESS’s UK portfolio of larger, strategically located storage assets. It will support grid flexibility and strengthen energy resilience in a region close to major electricity demand centres, helping the wider system accommodate growing renewable generation and changing patterns of demand. It is co-owned with leading energy and decarbonisation investor AIP Management.
Farrans was selected for this project for its specialism in innovative and sustainable solutions for the energy, water, aviation, transportation, marine, public sector, industrial and commercial sectors.
Barry McDonagh, Project Manager for Farrans, said: “This is an exciting project to be involved in as the UK adopts more resilient and sustainable approaches to manage its energy network. BW ESS and Energy-io are innovative partners to be working alongside as our programme ramps up. The energy sector is one which is well known to our business and our portfolio includes a high number of wind farms and substations across England, Ireland and Scotland. We have a great team on site and we are looking forward to bringing this project to life.”
