Yorkshire's 'A1 triangle' can be at heart of renewable energy plans as scheme to power 500,000 homes moves forward
Construction has officially started on a pioneering renewable energy project in a Yorkshire village that has the potential to help power more than 500,000 homes once it opens in 2026.
A ceremony to mark the start of construction works on an SSE Renewables battery storage project in Monk Fryston, North Yorkshire, took place yesterday involving representatives from the company as well as principal contractors Morrison Energy Services and energy storage supplier Sungrow, in attendance.
The batteries work by storing excess power from renewable energy sources like wind and solar and releasing it back into the grid at periods of peak demand.
Calculations suggest the Monk Fryston site’s 320MW capacity will be capable of powering approximately 533,000 homes for up to two hours at a time. It is being built on former crop fields close to a substation with SSE required to make improvements to local biodiversity as part of the conditions of the scheme.
SSE also has a 150MW battery storage project under construction at nearby Ferrybridge on the site of the former power station there while it is also in the early stages of consulting on a 600MW facility at Eggborough. A separate 50MW site in Salisbury, Wiltshire is already operational.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post in advance of the ground-breaking ceremony, Alan Greenwood, stakeholder engagement manager for SSE Renewables, said the relatively small area containing the three sites is ideal for battery storage projects.
He said: "In Yorkshire the legacy of all the heavy industrialisation, particularly that little A1 triangle, is that it is fantastically well connected. There are grid connections there that can be converted and used now.
"The quickest win to getting the volume of battery we need online is to use sites that are close to substations and to connections. There are lots of them in this area. That’s why this part of Yorkshire is important.
"The challenge over the next 20 to 30 years is to convert that into something that makes it in an energy hub.”
Mr Greenwood said the company felt it was important to mark the start of work on Monk Fryston.
"It is a great site, right next to an existing substation,” he said.
“There is enough room to build something discreet and not impactful on the landscape but capable of hosting a meaningful amount of installed capacity. It will be for a while the biggest in the UK.
"It is exactly the kind of project we are going to need if we are to going to deliver on net zero goals.
"One of the strengths of battery is the sites are contained in comparison with say, onshore wind. You get a lot of benefit from quite a small amount of land.
"Once Monk Fryston is built it is going to be very discreet and not attract attention to itself. In some ways that is nice but we want to try and make sure communities which are engaged in net zero are excited about what we are capable of doing here."
Mr Greenwood added the wider plans for Yorkshire have exciting potential.
"If we can get Eggborough over the line that could get us to a gigawatt of installed capacity in a little pocket of North and West Yorkshire,” he said.
“It is not just about grid infrastructure, it is about accessibility to good workforces and large population centres that make it ideal for battery.
"Yorkshire could certainly be an example of connected communities and how by developing sites in various points in the area, the cumulative impact can be overwhelmingly positive if we get it right.”
"We’re not really evolving, we are revolutionising energy and we should be marking that as we go.”
Donnie Whyte, Managing Director at Morrison Energy Services, said: “Following our team commencing work in the spring of this year, we have made significant progress in preparing the site for the upcoming works.
"We have been innovative across our construction methodology and ensured minimum impact to the environment and carbon footprint across all our activities.
“We look forward to continuing to work with SSE Renewables, Sungrow and our supply chain partners to deliver the upcoming phases of works, including the extensive civil construction and complex electrical infrastructure associated with such a large-scale energy storage facility.”
Lewis Jindong Li, President of Sungrow Europe, said: “We are proud to be a key partner in the Monk Fryston project. This milestone represents a significant step towards achieving the UK’s net zero targets by ensuring energy resilience and grid stability. Sungrow’s advanced battery energy storage solutions are designed to deliver efficiency, reliability, and scalability, supporting the transition to a sustainable energy future.”