Fidra Energy has reached financial close on the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, after securing up to £445 million in equity from EIG and the National Wealth Fund. The project will also be supported by £594 million in loan facilities from a group of international lenders, making it the largest standalone BESS financing in Europe and globally.
The 1,400 MW / 3,100 MWh facility is expected to begin construction immediately and become operational in mid-2027. It will have the capacity to supply more than 785,000 homes annually, roughly three times larger than any other BESS project currently operating or under development in the UK. Thorpe Marsh is designed to integrate renewable generation into the grid, improve flexibility, reduce energy waste, and enhance network stability.
Fidra Energy has secured long-term offtake agreements covering approximately 80% of the project’s output with EDF, Octopus Energy and Statkraft. The project also received a fifteen-year capacity market award from the UK Government, effective October 2028.
The project’s key contractors include Sungrow, providing Power Titan 2.0 batteries, H&MV Engineering, responsible for grid connections and battery system installation, and Jones Bros., Civil Engineering UK, delivering civil and drainage works.
The funding structure supports Fidra’s wider pipeline, including the 500 MW / 1,100 MWh West Burton BESS project. Combined, Thorpe Marsh and West Burton could contribute up to 11% of the additional storage capacity outlined in the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 targets.
Financial advisers on the equity raise included Santander CIB, New End, and EIG Global Energy Partners Capital Markets, with Santander CIB also advising on project debt.
 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, after securing up to £445 million in equity from EIG and the National Wealth Fund.){kind=link}