Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is very much in the process of constructing Coalburn 1. The 50MW/50MWh BESS project is situated in South Lanarkshire, southern Scotland and is extremely significant. This ambitious project features a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) with a two-hour duration lithium-ion facility, marking a crucial step in enhancing the UK’s energy infrastructure.
CIP made the financial investment decision for Coalburn 1 in December 2023, signaling its commitment to advancing renewable energy technologies. The site is now scheduled to be commissioned in early 2026. It likely will be essential, helping the grid stay stable even on its busiest demand days.
Coalburn 1 is directly sheltered by a ten-year optimization pact with SSE. This structure ensures a consistent funding source, augmenting its fiscal sustainability. Finally, as another sign of the project’s importance and leadership in the UK energy market, the project has recently signed a 15-year capacity market agreement. With these agreements in place, Coalburn 1 is primed to be a historic and effective force for change. It will improve the stability and resilience of our energy supply.
In addition to Coalburn 1, CIP is advancing other projects in Scotland and England, amounting to 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of BESS capacity. These electric assets together have enough capacity to supply and deliver an astounding 3 GWh of electricity. With that much electricity available, you could power more than 4.5 million houses for two hours straight!
CIP has built a global battery portfolio, with the UK, US, Europe and Australia all contributing. This expansion is a testament to their fierce commitment to renewable energy technologies. The company is currently building three transmission-connected BESS projects in Scotland. Among them, Coalburn 1 is one of them, and combined they will have a power capacity of 1.5 GW.
In March 2024, CIP raised the bar on its aspirations. It has co-invested with GC Storage Services via its CI V fund, establishing a robust pipeline of large-scale BESS projects in Italy, reaching 2.3 GW. This partnership further demonstrates CIP’s commitment to the deployment of energy storage capacity throughout Europe.
“As CIP’s development and construction portfolio of UK BESS projects continues to progress and grow, we look forward to welcoming AXA IM Alts as a new partner on our Coalburn 1 site, which once commissioned in 2026 shall be Europe’s biggest operational BESS project. The delivery of Coalburn 1, alongside CIP’s Coalburn 2 and Devilla construction projects, will improve the UK’s energy security, enable more low-cost renewables to be delivered, and will act to reduce costs for British consumers through enhanced system flexibility.” – Nischal Agarwal
“Our investment in Coalburn 1 marks a significant milestone as we enter the UK energy storage market, reinforcing our commitment to supporting the transition to a zero carbon economy. Battery storage infrastructure is critical to achieving national energy security and unlocking the full potential of renewable energy, and we look forward to working with experienced leaders of the sector to deliver resilient, long-term value for communities, our investors and the environment.” – Mark Gilligan