LS Electric Completes First ESS Power Plant in UK... Could It Become a European Energy Gamechanger?

Order secured in April last year... Completed in 15 months
Business capability recognized, green light for additional orders
"Will focus on aggressively targeting the European ESS market"

LS Electric has taken its first step into the UK energy storage system (ESS) market, accelerating its entry into the European renewable energy market.

On the 22nd (local time), LS Electric announced that it held a completion ceremony for the Botley ESS power plant in the UK. More than 20 project stakeholders, including the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND), Shinhan Asset Management, and Shinhan Bank, attended the ceremony.

On the 22nd (local time), attendees including Lee Jung-woo, Head of Shinhan Bank (fifth from the left), Lee Sang-wook, Head of KIND (sixth from the left), Lee Ho-joon, Head of Shinhan Asset Management (third from the right), and Son Chang-hee, Head of Overseas SE Sales Team at LS Electric (fifth from the right) are taking a commemorative photo at the BESS construction site in Botley, UK.
Photo by LS Electric

LS Electric won the Botley ESS project in the UK last April, with a total project cost of 133.4 billion KRW. This project aims to build a BESS system with a 50 MW power conversion system (PCS) and a 114 MWh battery to reliably supply electricity produced in the Botley area to the UK power company 'National Grid' transmission network.

LS Electric was responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and successfully completed the project. It will also perform integrated operation and maintenance (O&M) for the next 20 years.

With this completion as a milestone, LS Electric plans to further accelerate its efforts to penetrate the European renewable energy market. Following the Botley project win, it additionally secured an ESS project worth approximately 162.1 billion KRW in Widuhill, UK, in January this year, gaining recognition for its project execution capabilities locally. As a result, the cumulative order amount for UK ESS projects has reached about 300 billion KRW, and market expansion is expected to accelerate further.

Overview of the Botley ESS Power Plant in the UK
[Photo by LS Electric]

LS Electric expects concrete results based on its business capabilities accumulated in overseas markets such as the US and Japan, leveraging its proprietary technologies including the next-generation ESS platform MSSP (Modular Scalable String Platform).

The UK and Germany account for more than 60% of the European ESS market. The market is rapidly growing, supported by rising international energy prices and carbon emission reduction policies in each country. The UK is strongly promoting 'Net Zero (carbon neutrality),' aiming for zero carbon emissions by 2050, which is expected to further expand demand for renewable energy and ESS.

Jongwoo Kim, President of LS Electric, said, "Having successfully completed our first project in the UK and gained recognition for our ESS construction capabilities, we expect further achievements ahead," adding, "We will develop the European market, where demand for renewable energy is increasing, into a mid- to long-term strategic market."