Equinor has decided to invest in the Blandford Road battery storage project in Dorset in the south of England, the company announced on Monday.

This facility will be Equinor’s first commercial facility for battery storage. This will also be the first project Equinor realizes through its collaboration with Noriker Power.

Equinor bought 45 percent of Noriker Power in December last year – with an option to buy the entire company later. The parties have also signed an agreement allowing Equinor to participate directly in Noriker’s projects. And the Blandford Road project is the first project Noriker has developed into an investment decision, he said.

Construction of the battery storage facility will begin in January. It is expected to be operational starting in the third quarter of next year.

Strengthening Britain’s role

– Our ownership position in Noriker gives us the basis to build an energy storage portfolio in the UK. We hope to decide on up to three battery storage projects in the country over the next 6–9 months, Ingrid Fossgard-Moser said in her message. He is director of energy storage development at Equinor’s renewable energy business.

– The portfolio of flexible storage options will expand and strengthen Equinor’s energy supply in the UK, and strengthen our role as a reliable energy supplier, it said further.

Apart from the UK’s Noriker Power, Equinor has also invested in American battery storage company East Point Energy.

East Point Energy has a portfolio of battery park projects primarily on the US East Coast, while Noriker Power has a portfolio of battery and hybrid storage projects in the British Isles.

Since its founding in 2015, Noriker Power has developed UK battery and hybrid plants that together represent more than 250 megawatts of capacity.