Trafford Battery Energy Storage System

The Trafford Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is at an advanced stage of development with National Grid expected to enable connection of approximately 500MW by Q3 2025 and up to 1GW by mid 2026.

The Trafford Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a great opportunity to invest approximately £350 million in a large-scale, 500MW, 2 hour duration BESS project at an advanced stage of development. When completed, it will connect to the National Grid’s transmission system at 400kV with the potential to expand the site with further phases.

The developer, Carlton Power, is offering to sell 100% of the project company, with a long-term lease for the site at Trafford Energy Park. This is strategically placed on the National Grid system for both the 400kV transmission network and high pressure gas, as well as the low pressure regional gas network, it is also close to the proposed HyNet Hydrogen networks.

Detailed planning has been obtained on the site for 250MW with 1 hour duration (250MWh) and a new application will be made in Q4 2022 for expansion of BESS capacity up to 1GW with 2 hour duration.

Location:

Carrington in Manchester

Investment type:

Capital investment - energy and infrastructure

Sector:

(Sustainable infrastructure, Energy storage)

Project promoter:

Carlton Power

Scale:

£350 million

Planning status:

Full planning consent

Time to Final Investment Decision (FID):

6-12 months

Hamira Khan

Senior Investment Manager

Contact the opportunity lead

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Sector and market opportunity

Battery energy storage is a key technology for the transition to low carbon power generation. Once operational, the Trafford facility will operate in the UK energy market, provide reserve and ancillary services to the grid, and be capable of capturing multiple income streams.

Carlton Power is an experienced power project developer offering to sell 100% of the project SPV, ideally to a strategic investor looking for a project that is ready to be implemented.

Alternatively, Carlton Power would be willing to continue to support development and implementation of the project on behalf of a financial investor.

Location

The project is located on Trafford Energy Park, in a long-time industrial area on the site of an old coal fired power station . Trafford Energy Park is being developed as a multi-stage, multi-faceted energy development to support Greater Manchester’s net zero 2038 target – along with the UK’s net zero 2050 target.

These projects include:

the Li-ion Battery Energy Storage Project
a Cryobattery, Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) project
green hydrogen production
potential hydrogen fuelled Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT)
net zero industrial projects

Given the prior use of the site as the ash storage area of a former coal fired power station, implementation of the development will need to be managed to mitigate potential legacy ground contamination.

Connectivity

Manchester benefits from a major international airport and excellent rail and road links to the rest of the UK. This includes a 2.5-hour connection to London by train.

Local talent and skills

Manchester and Liverpool have strong industrial and services sectors with a highly trained and flexible workforce.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) highlights

BESS is an essential enabling technology for net zero as the proportion of intermittent renewable power generation increases.

Promoters and partnerships

Carlton Power has been active in developing power projects in the UK for more than 25 years and has strong links with both local and national government organisations.

It has a proven track record of delivering more than 2.5GW of thermal and renewable energy projects, which are now in operation.

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