Conrad Energy held a groundbreaking ceremony last week, on the project which the company said marks a big step forward in the realisation of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s net zero strategy.

The ceremony was attended by the Mayor, Cllr Lynda Robertson, alongside Cabinet member for climate and sustainable travel and deputy leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Cllr Sarah Warren.

“The role of battery storage in our future energy mix is increasingly important as we strive both as a nation and at the local level to balance the rapid growth of renewable energy sources as we accelerate towards net-zero carbon emissions,” said Chris Shears, Conrad Energy’s chief development officer.

“We will have 200MW of batteries operational by the end of this year and plan to deploy 1000MW in the coming years.”

Cllr Sarah Warren, said: “We are very pleased to be playing host to this significant new battery storage facility from Conrad Energy and applaud the role it will play in creating the smarter and more flexible energy system we need to get us to net zero 2030.”

Breaking ground marks the start of a three-month program to construct the site which will incorporate Tesla Megapacks which will supply power equivalent to the average needs of nearly 14,000 homes for two hours as well as providing grid stability services to the National Grid and Western Power Distribution. The scheme is anticipated to be fully operational in November 2022.