
Centrica Energy and Aquila Clean Energy Sign Agreement for Optimisation of 50MW Grid-Scale Battery in Finland
Hamburg & Aalborg, December 3, 2024
Centrica Energy and Aquila Clean Energy, developer of integrated & hybrid clean energy solutions and an independent power producer, have today announced signing of an optimisation agreement for a 50MW / 50MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) located in Kotka, southern Finland.
Under the agreement, Centrica Energy will optimise the battery to support balancing of the power grid and maximise revenue generation through applying a multi-market optimisation approach with participation in spot and ancillary service markets. Kristian Gjerløv-Juel, VP of Renewable Energy Trading & Optimisation at Centrica Energy commented:
“This agreement with Aquila Clean Energy is an important milestone for us. We have delivered PPAs for +20 years and today manage over 8.5GW of renewable and flexible assets across the Nordics – however, this is our first BESS optimisation agreement signed in the region. We see BESS as a cornerstone technology when phasing out fossil energy and have built extensive capabilities and experience with BESS optimisation in the UK and Belgium This agreement underlines our ability to successfully bring tried-and-tested optimisation capabilities into new markets and do our part to help energise a greener, fairer future.”
Finland continues to see significant growth in the development of renewable generation, with the pipeline of announced onshore and offshore wind projects exceeding 142GW in 2024[1]. Growing shares of renewables in the power grid drives greater demand for flexible assets, and with the ability to delivering cost-effective energy storage that maximises the utilisation of green electricity available to the grid, batteries are set to play a key role.
Kilian Leykam, Director Energy Storage Commercial at Aquila Clean Energy EMEA commented:
“The conclusion of this optimization agreement for our first Finnish battery project marks an important point for the realisation of our European BESS portfolio. The asset will provide essential services to the Finnish power grid, and it will be optimised by our partner Centrica across wholesale and ancillary service markets. By doing this it will play a key role for the integration of renewables in the Finnish market which is increasingly dominated by wind generation and therefore will be a good match for our renewable portfolio in the country.”
The 50MW/50MWh standalone battery energy storage system is Aquila Clean Energy’s first large-scale BESS developed in Finland, however, the firm has announced and commissioned a number of large-scale BESS projects through recent years. Aquila Clean Energy was a first-mover in the Belgian market with a 25MW/100MWh large-scale battery asset commissioned in early 2023, whilst in Germany the firm has announced construction of two projects of a combined power capacity of 106 MW and a total energy capacity of 212 MWh in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, Germany. The company currently manages a 7 GW BESS portfolio across Europe.
About Aquila
Aquila Clean Energy EMEA is a developer of integrated & hybrid clean energy solutions and an independent power producer. We deliver affordable, clean energy to European markets through innovative, technology enabled solutions. Since 2006, we’ve developed and operated renewable energy projects, bringing over 2.5 GW to commercial operation. We manage an advanced development and construction pipeline consisting of over 13 GW in solar PV, onshore wind and battery energy storage systems (BESS) across 13 European countries.
For more information: https://www.aquila-clean-energy.com/
Key facts about the agreement:
- Agreement: Optimisation for a 50MW / 50MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS)
- Location: Kotka, southern Finland
- Timing: The agreement was signed on 3th of December 2024 and will enter into force during 2025
- Centrica Energy will optimise the battery using a multi-market optimisation approach, participating in spot and ancillary service markets.
- Perspectives: Finland is experiencing rapid growth in renewable energy, with wind project pipelines exceeding 142GW in 2024. Batteries like these will play a key role in balancing the grid and maximizing the use of clean energy.
Enquiries:
For further information or questions, please contact:
Jakob Gejl Møller, Senior Public Relations & Public Affairs Manager
jakob.moller@centrica.com
For further information, please contact:
Centrica Energy
Marketing & Communication:
ce-marketing@centrica.com