Iberdrola plugs in 50-MW/25-MWh BESS in Ireland

July 1 (Renewables Now) - Spanish utility group Iberdrola SA (BME:IBE) said that it has commissioned Gorman, its 50-MW/25-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Ireland.

The EUR-28-million (USD 29.3m) system is made up of over 4,000 modules packed in 16 containers that occupy an area the size of a football pitch in County Meath. Gorman is Iberdrola’s first commercial-scale BESS in Ireland.

The BESS will serve Irish transmission system operator EirGrid for six years as part the DS3 programme, which EirGrid and peer SONI developed to ensure that Ireland’s power system operates securely as more non-synchronous renewables are uploaded.

Iberdrola plans to expand Gorman to 100 MW in the future, it said.

At present, the company has 193 MW of battery storage capacity around the world, and a portfolio of projects totalling 1,100 MW, the Spanish group added.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.045)