Chris Elder, CEO of Fidra Energy and a veteran energy infrastructure executive, explores Britain’s race toward gigawatt-scale batteries. They discuss whether bigger really is better, how brownfield sites and grid access shape projects, making battery revenues bankable, the engineering challenge of building Thorpe Marsh, technology choices, gas’s reliability role, and looming market consolidation.
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insights INSIGHT
Why Britain Needs Gigawatt Batteries
Britain’s 22–27 GW storage target cannot be met efficiently through scattered 50 MW installations alone.
Developers therefore need sites exceeding 500 MW to deliver capacity at the required pace.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Gas Sites Found A Second Life
Chris Elder repurposed gas sites after planned combined-cycle plants became uneconomic.
Existing consents and grid infrastructure enabled those sites to transition into large battery projects.
insights INSIGHT
Scale Makes Batteries Financeable
Large batteries combine lower unit costs with access to infrastructure-scale equity and project finance.
Chris Elder estimates 20–30% construction savings and 65–70% debt gearing for suitable projects.
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Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) were traditionally developed as portfolios of relatively small, MW-scale projects, reflecting the experience of renewable energy funds rooted in solar and wind. But a new generation of GW-scale projects is entering the market, led by developers with different backgrounds, industrial expertise and a fundamentally different view of scale: bigger is better.
Statera, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Zenobē and Fidra Energy are emerging as major players, backed by infrastructure investors such as EQT, Ares and KKR. Fidra Energy is one of these new titans. Backed by EIG, with $27 billion in assets under management, and the UK National Wealth Fund, Fidra is pursuing an ambitious strategy in Great Britain, with just three projects in its pipeline, but on an unprecedented scale: the 1.45 GW / 2.9 GWh Thorpe Marsh project, the 500 MW / 1 GWh West Burton C project, and Enderby, a 1 GW project potentially offering four hours of storage.
A single project can occupy an area equivalent to around 40 football pitches. These are not simply larger versions of conventional battery installations. Their teams bring extensive gas industry experience and a different approach to engineering, project delivery and infrastructure development.
They are also strategically located on brownfield sites, often former coal-fired power stations or gas plants, benefiting from existing grid connections, lower connection costs and shorter permitting timelines. Laurent and Gerard welcome Chris Elder, CEO of Fidra Energy, to explore what sets this new generation of projects apart and why scale is becoming such a competitive advantage. Despite their size, these projects can be highly bankable. Around 50% of future revenues can be secured through capacity payments and tolling agreements, providing the long-term visibility lenders need.
Thorpe Marsh demonstrates this: a consortium of 13 banks has committed £600 million in debt financing. We also examine one of the most critical decisions in delivering projects of this magnitude: battery supplier selection. Following a year-long tender process, Sungrow's PowerTitan 2.0 was selected for Thorpe Marsh. More than 600 twenty-foot containers will be installed on site, creating a significant logistical and construction challenge. Yet, as Chris explains, building a battery storage facility can be considerably simpler than delivering a gas-fired power plant.
Finally, we explore an energy system increasingly shaped by gigawatt-scale batteries. As these assets become central to grid stability, flexibility and renewable integration, Chris anticipates significant sector consolidation. Will a handful of large-scale developers come to dominate the market? And are GW-scale batteries set to become the backbone of tomorrow's electricity grid? It is a conversation about the people, capital, technology and industrial thinking driving the next chapter of battery energy storage.
Redefining Energy 