Quidhampton battery energy storage facility officially opened
The site's the first to be set up by SSE Renewables
A huge battery energy storage site at Quidhampton Quarry has been officially opened, with Salisbury's MP John Glen touring the facility.
It's the first such site set up by SSE Renewables, with 26 units put into place at the site off the A36, between the city and Wilton.
They'll start to provide power to the National Grid from February next year.
The batteries work by taking in and storing excess power created by renewable energy and feeding it into the grid if there's a weather-related shortage.
John Glen said it's an important step towards zero carbon:
"Tackling climate change is the biggest challenge of our age. This government wants to decarbonise the UK power system by 2035 and battery storage is seen as a key enabler of that transition to net zero because of its flexibility. I enjoyed seeing first-hand how battery storage will work in my own constituency, and I commend SSE for their ongoing investment in low carbon technology."
Richard Cave-Bigley, SSE Renewables Director of Solar and Battery, said:
"We were delighted to welcome John Glen MP to our first battery site at Salisbury ahead of the project going fully live in February 2024. The flexibility of battery storage means we can help National Grid manage peak times of demand and back up renewable sources of energy such as wind. SSE Renewables is investing £4m a day on average to 2027 in low carbon technologies that will enable net zero."