Work starts on 40MW battery in Bedford

Smith Brothers Contracting has started construction work on a 40MW battery at Greenfield Road, Bedford, on behalf of Arlington Energy.

Smith will oversee all private, contestable, and EPC works  from initial design, through to final commissioning, which is expected in October. Works  include  delivery, installation and commissioning of 22 40ft long battery containers, 66 inverters and 11 auxiliary transformers.

Contestable works include the design and build of a 132kV outdoor substation – including associated infrastructure – as well as the construction, supply, assembly and commissioning of the necessary protection panels.

Dave Ogden, director at Smith Brothers, said: “This is the second Arlington Energy project we’ve hit shovel-ready on in as many months, and it’s fantastic to see our client’s 1GW energy storage and gas peaking portfolio ambitions coming to fruition.”

Matt Clare, director at Arlington Infrastructure, added: “We’ve been working closely with Smith Brothers over the past 12 months, to get everything in place ready for construction work to begin on site. ”

In April Smith Brothers began work on the first of Arlington Energy’s energy storage and gas peaking projects – a short term operating reserve (STOR) site in Sheffield, Yorkshire.

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