Drawing on 60 years of experience, ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer) provides specialist marine environmental research and consultancy services.
UK Dredging (UKD) operates the largest British-owned dredging fleet and specialises in the provision of reliable and cost effective port maintenance dredging services.
Image: Marchwood area, including Marchwood Industrial Park and ABP Solent Gateway from the perspective of Southampton.
Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton is partnering with BW ESS, a global leader in energy storage, to deliver an advanced energy storage solution at Marchwood Industrial Park. The facility will support the resilience and sustainability of regional and national power networks and is another tangible example of ABP fulfilling its mission of Enabling the Energy Transition.
BW ESS is the developer, owner, and operator of large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), with 2.4GWh of projects operating and under construction in the UK, and a 10GW global pipeline.
Following recent planning approval from New Forest District Council, the BESS facility will be developed on a brownfield site within Marchwood Industrial Park, where existing buildings have reached the end of their economic life and no longer meet modern energy efficiency or sustainability standards.
BW ESS will develop the BESS facility on around seven acres of land under a long-term lease. The site is ideally located near the Marchwood National Grid Substation, enabling grid connection with minimal disruption to the surrounding area. The facility is expected to be fully operational by late 2028 and will have a 40-year lifespan.
Tim Hook, Lead Asset Manager said: “We’re proud to be regenerating a brownfield site for clean energy, delivering electricity to support local businesses and homes and resilience to the network. This project will offer valuable insights into how future energy storage solutions can be delivered within the Port, reinforcing our commitment to deliver sustainable infrastructure and decarbonising of our operations.”
Richard Thwaites, Executive Director and Head of UK, BW ESS said: “We are pleased to be working with ABP on this important project to support local energy security and the transition to a sustainable energy future. The project will be a significant investment in critical energy infrastructure and will repurpose a brownfield site immediately adjacent to the National Grid substation.”
Recognised by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as essential electrical infrastructure, BESS are a critical enabler of the UK’s transition to net zero, providing the flexibility needed to balance renewable generation and ensure grid stability. BESS store excess electricity from the grid during hours of high produce and release it when demand is high, helping to alleviate grid capacity challenges faced by local homes and businesses.
