NatPower to build UK’s first battery storage with maritime electrification infrastructure

August 28, 2025, by Ajsa Habibic

Renewable energy project developer NatPower has set out to build the UK’s first battery storage facility combined with maritime electrification infrastructure, Teesside GigaPark.

Artist's impression of Teesside GigaPark, battery storage project on Sembcorp Utilities’ Wilton International site. Courtesy of NatPower

To this end, NatPower UK has signed an agreement with Sembcorp Utilities (UK), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Energy UK, for a 32-acre site at Wilton International in Redcar to deliver a 1GW / 8GWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS).

The £1 billion Tesside GigaPark is described as one of the UK’s highest-capacity and longest-duration projects and the first to combine utility-scale grid storage with dedicated port electrification infrastructure.

NatPower expects the facility to power industry and ports, enable marine electrification, create 200 construction jobs, provide long-term skilled employment, and invest £2 million annually into the local community.

Fully privately financed, the Teesside GigaPark will operate at four hours’ storage capacity (4GWh) initially, with potential to double to eight hours (8GWh).

The project holds a 1GW connection agreement with the National Energy System Operator for a 400kV connection to National Grid’s substation. NatPower will build and operate the site, with the aim of connecting it to the grid by 2028. The infrastructure is being designed from the outset to power ships at berth (cold ironing) and recharge electric propulsion systems for future vessel types.

Stefano D.M. Sommadossi, CEO of NatPower UK and NatPower Marine, said: “Teesside, our most advanced GigaPark, located at Wilton International, will be the blueprint for how we combine high-capacity renewable energy storage with the electrification of ports and industry. Within five years, we can transform one of the UK’s most important industrial hubs into a net-zero economic powerhouse and then replicate this model in ports across the globe.”

Mike Patrick, CEO of Sembcorp Energy UK, added: “We are pleased to support NatPower to bring one of the UK’s most advanced battery energy storage projects to Wilton International. With its robust grid infrastructure, Wilton International offers the ideal platform for scaling long-duration battery storage and supporting maritime electrification. This project further strengthens Wilton International’s role as a strategic site for low-carbon innovation, driving the UK’s journey towards a net-zero future.”