November 1, 2024: The Texas headquartered consulting and project management firm, Aecom, has been selected by Tesla to support the delivery of one of the world’s largest battery energy storage systems (BESS) for offshore wind.

The battery will be installed near Norwich, in the UK, at the same site as the onshore converter station of Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the North Sea. It will have a capacity of 600MWh — the equivalent to the daily energy use of 80,000 UK homes — and a power rating of 300 MW.

The collaboration comes after Tesla was announced in June as the provider of the BESS for the 2.9GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, which should start operations by the close of 2026.

“Offshore wind is pivotal to the UK’s energy portfolio, and expanding renewable energy storage is crucial to its optimization,” said Eloise John, director of energy at AECOM UK and Ireland. “We are delighted to support Tesla in implementing this battery system for the Hornsea 3 project.

“This initiative is instrumental in mitigating the intermittency of renewable sources, enhancing grid stability, and curbing price volatility, thereby fostering the adoption of such storage solutions on a broader scale. It underscores the essential role of energy storage in the UK’s transition to net zero and demonstrates its global potential.”

Aecom’s role includes providing detailed design services focused on protection, control and infrastructure systems like substations, plants and cabling. This work is to continue through to February 2025.