EDF Contracts Wärtsilä for Two Additional UK Battery Storage Projects
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EDF Renewables UK has partnered with Finnish technology group Wärtsilä for two new battery energy storage system (BESS) projects. The announcement, made on June 6, 2025, includes the 47.5MW/95MWh Indian Queens project in Cornwall and the 50MW/100MWh Bredbury project in Greater Manchester. Both projects are currently under construction, with Bredbury expected to begin commercial operations in late 2025, while Indian Queens is set to launch in the first half of next year.
With this new contract, Wärtsilä has now been engaged to deliver a total of eight grid-scale battery projects for EDF in the UK, amounting to 404.5MW/709MWh. The previous six projects are already operational, including the 50MW/100MWh Sundon asset in Bedfordshire, which began operations in December 2024, and the 57MW/114MWh Bramford project in Suffolk, which came online in April 2025. EDF Renewables UK ordered Sundon in 2022 and Bramford in early 2023.
In its announcement, Wärtsilä did not specify which version of its GridSolv Quantum containerized BESS solution will be used for the Indian Queens and Bredbury projects. However, it confirmed that all its battery storage projects will be managed and optimized using the GEMS Digital Energy Management software platform. Wärtsilä introduced its latest version, Quantum 2, in March 2024, designed for compact layouts at high energy-density sites, maintaining the standard 20-foot container size. This liquid-cooled system is tailored for applications requiring durations of 2 to 8 hours. Quantum 2 follows the Quantum High-Energy (Quantum HE) system, which was unveiled in late 2023, aimed at enhancing energy density. Quantum HE will see its first deployment at Zenobē Energy’s 300MW/600MWh Kilmarnock South project in Scotland, announced in February 2024.
Wärtsilä recently completed an 18-month strategic review of its energy storage division, Wärtsilä Energy Storage & Optimisation (ES&O), which began in October 2023 and explored various options, including potential divestment. However, the review concluded in March 2025, reaffirming the company’s commitment to the energy storage sector.
The UK’s battery storage capacity has now reached over 1GWh, thanks to the commencement of operations at the Bramford project. EDF Renewables UK is also advancing its proposed 250MW Swansea North project in Wales, which is currently undergoing environmental and technical assessments following a public consultation opened on May 14.
According to the ‘Battery Storage: UK Pipeline & Completed Assets Database’ report from Solar Media Market Research, there are nearly 130GWh of BESS projects with planning consent in the UK. It’s essential to note that not all of these projects are guaranteed to be developed, and some may face delays in securing grid connections. As of April, the operational BESS fleet in the UK consisted of 9GWh of assets. Analyst Charlotte Gisbourne from Solar Media Market Research highlighted that the distribution of these projects is uneven, with over 2GWh of installations located in the Southeast of England, while Scotland boasts the largest average project size at 52MWh.
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