EDF Renewables UK has said it will launch six battery projects across the UK in the next 12 months, with a combined capacity of more than 300MW.

The firm, which is a subsidiary of the French state-owned energy giant, said the projects include a 57MW battery in Braintree, Essex, and a 47.5MW battery in Indian Queens, Saint Austell. It also energised a 52MW battery in Bedfordshire in July, as well as Dorset Council last week approving planning for a 47.5MW battery near Mannington.

As of June 2024, the UK’s operational battery storage capacity was 4.6GW, so the new projects represent a roughly 7% increase nationwide. The UK’s total battery storage is expected to increase to 7.4GW by the end of the year.

The technology will be needed if Labour is going to meet its target of decarbonising the UK’s energy generation by 2030. It has pledged to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind by that time, but the intermittent nature of their generation means that significant...