Zenobē, the UK’s leading owner and operator of grid-scale battery storage, today announces the acquisition of a 400MW ready-to-build battery energy storage system (BESS) in Low Harker, Cumbria from Innova, one of the largest developers of renewable energy and data centres in the UK. The acquisition demonstrates Zenobē’s continuing commitment to help deliver on the UK’s ambitious goal of having 25GW of BESS capacity by 2030, up from 6GW today. 

The site has a 2028 connection date and its acquisition was enabled by the government’s decision to continue with a national rather than a zonal approach to electricity pricing. Innova has been developing the Harker site since 2022 and achieved planning consent on the project In October 2023. The Harker substation location is key for power flows and solving locational constraints, ultimately reducing costs for consumers. The Harker project will have the capability to provide inertia and reactive power services which are required to manage the network in the region following the retirement of plants such as the Heysham nuclear power station.

The project will draw on Zenobē’s experience implementing grid-forming inverters as seen at its Blackhillock site in Scotland – Europe’s largest battery project at the time of going live. This means the site can participate in multiple markets “stacking” services, allowing Zenobē to provide several strategic contributions to the GB grid – ensuring the lights stay on, the cost of energy stays down, and the grid doesn’t waste renewable energy. In addition to enhancing the security of the network, the project has committed to a series of community and charitable benefit schemes designed to support local organisations and initiatives. These arrangements, developed in-line with Innova’s Community Promise, will be delivered by Zenobē and involve Rockcliffe and Westlinton Parish Councils, Rockcliffe Community Centre, and The Country Trust. 

The funding is intended to contribute to community wellbeing and charitable objectives over the life of the project. Zenobē is following its strategy of developing, owning and operating transmission-scale assets to enhance the security of Britain’s energy network and reduce consumer bills. The acquisition of the Harker site represents a significant step for the business, adding 400MW ready-to-build BESS to 1.2GW of BESS assets in operation or under construction.

This follows Zenobē’s recent acquisition of the 1GW Butlers Wood connection, a continuation of Zenobē and Innova’s shared ambition to decarbonise the GB grid. The transaction was advised by JLL, who also acted as financial advisor to Innova alongside TLT and Foot Anstey as legal advisors. Zenobē were supported by Pinsent Masons and Natural Power on the legal and technical aspects of the project respectively.

Commenting, Zenobē’s Global Director of Network Infrastructure Semih Oztreves said: 
“The Harker project marks another milestone in delivering the flexible, resilient energy infrastructure the UK needs to accelerate its transition to net zero. We’re excited to take forward the development of this strategically important site and are committed to engaging with the local community to ensure the project delivers meaningful benefits throughout its lifetime. Over the coming months, our team will focus on securing long-term Route to Market and supply chain partners – we look forward to engaging with the market on this. The site reflects our long-term commitment to developing, owning and operating battery solutions that support the energy transition without reliance on government subsidies.” 

Commenting on behalf of Innova, Daniel Mushin (Chief Investment Officer) and Jon Sheppard (Investment Manager) said: 
“The Harker project demonstrates how our development expertise has been helping to unlock clean energy infrastructure, and we’re delighted to continue working with Zenobē to accelerate the deployment of transmission-scale BESS across the UK. We’re proud to have brought this project through its critical early stages of development, and we’re confident it will play an instrumental role in supporting a more resilient energy system.”

Commenting on behalf of JLL, Max Stirling (Director – Energy & Infrastructure Advisory) said: 
“We’re proud to have advised Innova on this landmark transaction. Early in the process Zenobē were quick to identify the exceptional quality of the Harker project – a testament to Innova’s development expertise in creating transmission-connected BESS assets that address critical grid infrastructure needs. Congratulations to Zenobē on this significant acquisition and wish them every success as take the project into construction. The scale of this transaction underscores the strong investor appetite for high-quality battery energy storage systems in Great Britain, reflecting the sector’s vital role in delivering the UK’s net zero ambitions.”