UK Progress Atlas

UK Progress Atlas

Atlas News

UK project milestones, investment, science, healthcare and nature restoration.

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Renewables & Energy
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Update
Renewables & Energy

UK battery storage capacity reaches 8.7GW as new installations accelerate

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The UK's operational battery storage fleet has grown to 8.7GW of power capacity and 14.1GWh of energy-storage capacity, according to new figures from industry body RenewableUK. During 2026 so far, 1.1GW of batteries have entered service, contributing to a 21% increase in operational capacity over the past year. Another 9.1GW of projects are under construction, showing the scale of investment in infrastructure that helps Britain store renewable electricity and balance supply and demand.

renewableuk.com ↗
Construction
Renewables & Energy

Ørsted completes construction of 300MW Iceni battery site

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Ørsted reports that construction of its 300MW, 600MWh Iceni battery storage site near Norwich is complete, with 170 Tesla Megapacks installed beside the Hornsea 3 onshore converter station. Commissioning and testing have begun. Electrical installation continues, including the cables linking the two battery areas across the converter-station site, and preparations are under way to energise the battery transformer. The system has yet to enter full operation.

orsted.co.uk ↗
Funding
Renewables & Energy

Foresight invests in 1.8GW Earba pumped-storage project

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Foresight’s second energy infrastructure fund has invested in Gilkes Energy’s Earba pumped-storage hydro project in the Scottish Highlands. The amount was not disclosed. The investment will support detailed engineering, procurement, site investigations and preparations for construction. The consented scheme is designed to deliver 1.8GW of power and store 40GWh of electricity. Main construction has not begun.

foresight.group ↗

More developments

Funding
Renewables & Energy

Ofgem approves £642.1m cost allowance for Bramford–Twinstead grid upgrade

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Ofgem has approved a £642.1 million cost allowance for National Grid’s Bramford–Twinstead electricity transmission upgrade, £60.6 million below the company’s request. The scheme includes 18km of overhead line, 11km of underground cable, a new substation at Twinstead Green and changes to Bramford substation. It is intended to increase grid capacity for generation in East Anglia and reduce transmission bottlenecks. The decision sets the costs National Grid may recover through the regulated network funding framework.

ofgem.gov.uk ↗
Construction
Renewables & Energy

East Anglia TWO installs twin 1.8km cable ducts beneath Suffolk coast

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ScottishPower Renewables has installed two continuous cable ducts, each about 1.8km long and 800mm wide, beneath the Suffolk coast at Thorpeness for the 960MW East Anglia TWO wind farm. Horizontal directional drilling created passages for the ducts without an open trench through the shoreline. They will carry the farm’s export cables, with the first cable installation expected in summer 2027. The developer is targeting commercial operation in late 2028.

scottishpowerrenewables.com ↗
Construction
Renewables & Energy

Tunnelling completed for Eryri pylon-removal scheme

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National Grid has completed the 3.4 km tunnelling drive beneath the Dwyryd Estuary between Minffordd and Llandecwyn. The tunnel will carry electricity cables allowing ten pylons and roughly 3 km of overhead line to be removed from Eryri’s landscape. Cable installation and associated construction remain ahead; National Grid targets pylon removal in 2029.

nationalgrid.com ↗nationalgrid.com ↗tunnelingworld.com ↗
Approved
Renewables & Energy

Steeple Renewables receives consent for 450 MW solar and 150 MW battery scheme

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The government granted development consent on 9 October 2026 for approximately 450 MW of solar generation and a 150 MW battery energy storage system near Sturton-le-Steeple, Nottinghamshire. Battery energy capacity in MWh and construction commencement are not established by this announcement.

gov.uk ↗steeplerenewablesproject.co.uk ↗
Construction
Renewables & Energy

Dogger Bank B passes halfway in turbine installation

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Forty-nine of Dogger Bank B’s 95 wind turbines have been installed, according to the project’s weekly marine notice for 5–11 October. Construction continues on the offshore wind farm; the installation count does not establish that those turbines are commissioned or generating electricity.

offshorewind.biz ↗doggerbank.com ↗doggerbank.com ↗
Construction
Renewables & Energy

Douglas CCS platform installed in Liverpool Bay

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Liverpool Bay CCS completed installation of the Douglas CCS platform on 8 October. The purpose-built hub will receive captured industrial CO2 and distribute it to depleted offshore reservoirs through repurposed pipelines. Eni reports the wider network is approximately 50% complete; installation does not establish that CO2 storage is operating.

eni.com ↗publicregister.naturalresources.wales ↗
Construction
Renewables & Energy

Econergy connects 120MWh Dalmarnock battery to the grid

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Econergy has connected its 40MW, 120MWh Dalmarnock battery storage site in Glasgow to the electricity grid. The three-hour system is designed to store electricity and discharge it when needed. Full commercial operation is expected in December 2026. The project has approximately £21 million of financing from Santander UK and a ten-year arrangement with EDF that combines a minimum annual revenue with revenue sharing.

econergytech.com ↗renewableenergymagazine.com ↗