Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, has started work on a grid-scale battery storage facility in Sandwell, northwest of Birmingham.

Connected to the transmission network at National Grid's Bustleholme substation, the site will help to create a greener energy grid and accelerate the UK’s drive to net zero.

The 50MW/100MWh lithium-ion battery will store enough electricity to power over 100,000 homes for 2 hours1. It will support the integration of more renewable energy and increase the resiliency of the electricity system by automatically charging and discharging to balance supply and demand and manage intermittency.

The Sandwell site forms an integral part of Pivot Power’s Energy Superhub network, designed to deliver up to 2 GW of transmission-connected battery storage and high-volume power connections across the UK.

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Sandwell will be one of the first communities in the country to benefit from this unique infrastructure investment, which will reduce the region’s carbon emissions, improve air quality, and support sustainable economic growth.

Alongside a similar site in Coventry, which is due to begin construction in early 2022, it will replicate core elements of Pivot Power’s Energy Superhub Oxford project, one of the most ambitious urban decarbonisation projects undertaken in the UK to date which combines a cutting-edge 50MW hybrid battery with Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

Matt Allen, CEO of Pivot Power, said: "The movement towards zero carbon energy is unstoppable and our technology provides the lynchpin to bring that to scale. Renewable energy and battery storage are complementary, interconnected and interdependent – we must have both to achieve net zero. Our project at Sandwell will help to create the essential infrastructure for the UK to accelerate net zero."

The site will also help to supercharge the West Midlands’ green transport revolution by creating the power infrastructure for mass-scale, rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging. Once work has been completed on the battery, Pivot Power plans to install a private-wire network, creating the power infrastructure to deliver large amounts of power for rapid EV charging to strategic locations in the local area, from public charging hubs to bus depots and commercial fleets.