NatPower UK has secured an agreement with Sembcorp Utilities UK Limited for a 32-acre site at Wilton International in Redcar to deliver what it describes as the United Kingdom’s first utility-scale grid storage project to combine dedicated port electrification infrastructure. The plan centers on a large battery installation integrated with facilities intended to connect directly with maritime activity, marking a notable convergence of energy and transport infrastructure within a single development.
The project will feature a 1-gigawatt (GW) / 8 gigawatt-hour (GWh) lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). According to the announcement, the system will use lithium-ion technology at a scale designed for national electricity system needs. With its headline ratings, the asset signals a significant multi-hour energy buffer that can be dispatched to support the power system and, crucially, the adjacent dedicated port interface. By coupling a high-capacity battery with port-focused assets, the developers aim to address simultaneous demands on the grid and the port.
Project overview
While utility-scale battery plants are increasingly common in advanced power markets, the explicit combination of a grid-connected storage asset with dedicated port electrification infrastructure is comparatively rare. This configuration is designed to place a sizeable, responsive power resource near maritime operations, where electrified activities can benefit from the immediacy and controllability that battery storage offers. The approach reflects a broader trend to position flexible capacity closer to end uses that face variable and sometimes intense demand profiles.
Battery storage projects of this magnitude are typically developed to absorb excess generation, discharge during periods of higher demand, and provide fast-acting services that support system stability. By virtue of their response speed and modularity, such installations can complement variable renewable generation and help reduce curtailment. In parallel, having storage proximate to energy-intensive clusters can reduce transmission constraints and improve local resilience, although the precise service stack for this asset has not been detailed in the provided information.
In maritime settings, dedicated electrification infrastructure generally seeks to reduce local emissions, noise, and fuel use by enabling onshore electrical supply for dockside operations. The presence of a large-scale battery adjacent to such infrastructure can, in principle, help manage load peaks and align consumption with periods of lower system stress. The announcement highlights the siting choice—within a major industrial location at Wilton International in Redcar—but does not enumerate specific operational modes for the integrated facilities, leaving room for future disclosures on technical configurations and use cases.
Location and counterparties are clearly set out: the site is at Wilton International in Redcar, and the agreement is with Sembcorp Utilities UK Limited, the site’s utility services provider. The storage asset is described as 1 GW/8 GWh and lithium-ion-based, underlining the pursuit of high power and substantial energy duration in one installation. Beyond these parameters, the information supplied does not include a commissioning timeline, investment figures, or a delivery schedule. As with many early-stage announcements, additional commercial and technical details typically emerge as permitting, procurement, and grid-connection processes advance.
By setting out to deliver the UK’s first utility-scale project to combine these elements at a single location, the initiative establishes a reference point for integrated energy and transport infrastructure. It underscores how large storage can be positioned to serve both system-level needs and adjacent industrial or maritime demand centers. The collaboration—anchored by an agreement with Sembcorp Utilities UK Limited—also signals the importance of partnerships that can align land, utility services, and project execution. Whether measured by the 32-acre footprint, the headline 1 GW power rating, or the inclusion of dedicated port infrastructure, the project’s contours point to a materially scaled development with national relevance.
In sum, the Wilton International development pairs a high-capacity gigawatt-scale battery with infrastructure intended to serve electrified maritime activity, within a single industrial site. The 1 GW/8 GWh specification situates the plant among the larger planned BESS assets in the country, and its coupling with a port-facing element distinguishes it within the UK context. As further details emerge, attention will likely focus on how the project’s design formalizes the interface between storage operations and dedicated maritime electrification, and how that interface performs under real-world operating conditions.
