Voltalia commissions 32MW Hallen battery storage assetVoltalia commissions 32MW Hallen battery storage asset

Voltalia’s 32MW/32MWh Hallen battery energy storage system (BESS) has been commissioned, releasing first power into the grid in December.

The lithium-ion BESS is located at Avonmouth, near Bristol, and consists of 16 modules, each with a capacity of 2MWh per unit.

Construction began at the site in April, and was scheduled to be completed in Q1 of 2022, but the first stored and released kilowatt hours took place on 23 December.

"The commencement of commissioning of the Hallen Battery Energy Storage Scheme is another success for Voltalia in this rapidly developing segment,” said Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.

“We are very happy to support the energy transition in the United Kingdom, which is experiencing strong growth in renewable energies in its energy mix.”

The asset will play into several markets, providing frequency management, balancing and other ancillary services to the UK grid, locally and nationally. There is a strong market for these services in the UK, with the expansion of Dynamic Containment in 2021 as well as significant demand within the Balancing Mechanism due to volatility.