Centrica Completes Installation of Battery Storage Scheme for Gateshead Council

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The battery project has been designed to store or release energy for the Gateshead District Energy Centre, which opened earlier this year, and will be capable of responding to any fluctuations in demand in under a second.

With a total capacity of 3MW, the state-of-the-art battery scheme is made up of six units that hold the equivalent of one million AA battery cells. It is capable of storing enough power to meet the needs of 3,000 homes for one hour.

Once commissioned, Centrica will manage the project under a 10 year contract, providing various flexibility services for the grid which help keep the national electricity network in balance. In time, it will also be used to help meet peaks in local demand, providing electricity through a private wire to council-owned buildings and well-known Tyneside buildings including Gateshead College and the Sage Gateshead concert venue.

Alan Barlow, UK&I Director for Centrica Distributed Energy and Power said: "The Gateshead Energy Centre is a ground-breaking scheme and an impressive demonstration of how distributed energy solutions can generate cost savings, strengthen resilience, by bringing together battery storage and other energy technologies."

The Gateshead District Energy Centre consists of a pair of 2MW combined heat and power (CHP) units, which generate enough electricity to power 5,000 homes. The power is distributed via a private wire network consisting of high voltage electricity cables, while waste heat from the engines is recovered to provide hot water for heating via a 3km network of heat pipes.

Cllr John McElroy, Gateshead Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "This battery installation completes the wider District Energy Scheme, which will provide low cost heat and power to homes, organisations and businesses in central Gateshead.

"It's a bold, imaginative scheme that means we can also store and release power when we choose, as well as supporting the National Grid, which helps raise more income to support Council services."

The battery storage scheme builds on a long-term energy partnership between Gateshead Council and Centrica who have installed 2MW of solar panels on 34 public buildings in the town. The business has also separately installed CHP units at five council-owned leisure centres including Gateshead, Heworth and Dunston Leisure Centres.

To find out more about how Centrica is helping businesses to gain advantage from their energy, go to http://www.centricabusinesssolutions.com

Notes to editors: 

About the Gateshead scheme

• The Gateshead Energy Centre is run by Gateshead Energy Company and is part of the Gateshead District Energy Scheme, a programme designed to meet the energy needs of the existing district network, and future needs from the new commercial and residential developments.
• The Centre currently supplies buildings including the Gateshead Civic Centre, Gateshead College and The Sage Gateshead.
• The battery facility consists of six battery units and has a minimum response time of 140ms. It can absorb or discharge power depending on local demand.
• The units will typically be discharged when required by National Grid, to maintain the frequency of the grid at 50Hz, and can also be used to manage peak power demand, or store excess electricity, for the Gateshead District Energy Network.
• The facility is set to be commissioned later this year.

About Centrica

• Centrica plc is an international energy and services company. Our purpose is to provide energy and services to satisfy the changing needs of our customers.
• We've been serving customers for over 200 years and aim to be at the centre of their daily lives - central to helping them run their world.
• Distributed Energy and Power is part of our global division, Centrica Business, and has operations across 34 countries.
• Under the Centrica Business Solutions banner, we deliver integrated energy solutions, combining distributed energy technologies and a variety of commercial options to help businesses and other large energy users to improve performance and cost management, strengthen resilience, and create opportunities for growth.