Big batteries are over here too, doing the same thing. For example
https://stateraenergy.co.uk/Energy%20Storage%20Facility/pelham-storage/


...And in the August 2019 grid wobble, National Grid credited EFR/FFR providers which included batteries, with sustaining the frequency enough to avoid further outages.
https://www.nationalgrideso.com/information-about-great-britains-energy-system-and-electricity-system-operator-eso

To save you reading (final report, p4)

All the “backup” power and tools the ESO normally uses and had available to manage the frequency were used (this included 472MW of battery storage) to stop the frequency fall (at 49.1Hz) and being recovering it towards 50Hz.

As Simon Barker says, these plant are designed around a very short duty cycle, but also very fast response times, primarily to provide this function (normally less dramatically than the above event mind you). National Grid procures this service directly, just as it does other reserve services. It is not the same as long term storage, which would most likely be better suited to other technologies (flow batteries anyone?) that may struggle to react quickly enough to frequency events.


Lastly, worth looking at the requirements for G99... All mid-size generators (>1MW), including inverters, now have to incorporate a frequency response mode featuring a droop curve (albeit asymmetric, depending on size, but the point is it responds to network loading), plus feed in to / ride through close in faults, limited network voltage control and provide a DNO control interface.
https://www.energynetworks.org/assets/files/electricity/engineering/engineering%20documents/ENA_EREC_G99_Issue%201_Amendment_5_(2019).pdf

Big batteries are over here too, doing the same thing. For example
https://stateraenergy.co.uk/Energy%20Storage%20Facility/pelham-storage/


...And in the August 2019 grid wobble, National Grid credited EFR/FFR providers which included batteries, with sustaining the frequency enough to avoid further outages.
https://www.nationalgrideso.com/information-about-great-britains-energy-system-and-electricity-system-operator-eso

To save you reading (final report, p4)

All the “backup” power and tools the ESO normally uses and had available to manage the frequency were used (this included 472MW of battery storage) to stop the frequency fall (at 49.1Hz) and being recovering it towards 50Hz.

As Simon Barker says, these plant are designed around a very short duty cycle, but also very fast response times, primarily to provide this function (normally less dramatically than the above event mind you). National Grid procures this service directly, just as it does other reserve services. It is not the same as long term storage, which would most likely be better suited to other technologies (flow batteries anyone?) that may struggle to react quickly enough to frequency events.


Lastly, worth looking at the requirements for G99... All mid-size generators (>1MW), including inverters, now have to incorporate a frequency response mode featuring a droop curve (albeit asymmetric, depending on size, but the point is it responds to network loading), plus feed in to / ride through close in faults, limited network voltage control and provide a DNO control interface.
https://www.energynetworks.org/assets/files/electricity/engineering/engineering%20documents/ENA_EREC_G99_Issue%201_Amendment_5_(2019).pdf