Eku Energy has secured £45 million in debt financing from NatWest Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) to construct a new 99MW/198MWh battery at Ocker Hill in the West Midlands. The site is close to the former Ocker Hill coal-fired power station which stood for more than 80 years from when it first opened in 1902 until its closure in 1977 and final demolition in 1985
With construction set to begin next month, the Ocker Hill battery is expected to be commissioned in late 2026 and is Eku Energy’s fourth energy storage project in the UK to either be in operation or under construction. It will use 54 Tesla Megapacks and be built by H&MV Engineering. Smartest Energy, a 100% owned subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation, will serve as the tolling provider under a 10-year agreement.
Mahu Raval, Senior Vice President of Trading at SmartestEnergy, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Eku Energy on the tolling agreement for the Ocker Hill BESS. This project is the longest tolling agreement announced to date in the UK and shows our commitment to Eku and the BESS business case they built. ”