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Battery storage will be brought to the wastewater treatment plant in Preston, which serves 260,000 local homes and businesses
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Zenobe and United Utilities’ partnership will bring significant benefits to water customers and the environment
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This will be the largest battery system in the UK water industry, part of the sector’s intent to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030
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Zenobe will be financing, installing and operating the batteries using its proprietary software from May
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Zenobe expects the ground-breaking solution to be rolled out across the water sector
Zenobe Energy, the leading UK owner and operator of battery storage, today announces its partnership with United Utilities, the UK’s largest listed water company, in a ground-breaking move towards more resilient water operations in the future.
The company will supply United Utilities with the largest battery in the UK water industry to date. The 2MW battery will connect to solar panels at Clifton Marsh wastewater treatment works in Preston, Lancashire, which serves 260,000 local homes and businesses. The site will be fully active by the end of May.
This the first time Zenobe’s capabilities will be been used in the UK water sector. It will provide a complete solution that uses its own market intelligence models and proprietary software to manage the batteries. This will optimise any excess onsite solar, trade in a range of electricity markets to support National Grid, provide power resilience and reduce carbon emissions, reducing costs for customers and save at least 6,700 tonnes of CO2 over the life of the 15 year contract.
This partnership highlights United Utilities’ commitment to becoming a clean air company. It comes at a time when the utilities sector in England has made a Public Interest Commitment pledge – to not only improve their service but also to tackle wider social and environmental challenges.
Steve Slavin, Head of Renewable Energy at United Utilities, said:
“Having an electricity storage facility on site is really useful. It means we can make the most of any available green energy. Not only is that good for the environment it’s good for our business too. Energy is one of a water company’s largest operational costs. By generating our own power, we can protect United Utilities from a volatile energy market, which will allow us predict our cost of treatment and stabilise bills for our customers.
“The batteries will also allow us to help the National Grid even out the peaks and troughs in power demand throughout the day. This is exactly the sort of innovation water companies need to be embracing if we are to meet the sector’s goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2030.”
James Basden, co-founder of Zenobe Energy, said:
“We’re proud that our end-to-end energy storage service is bringing significant environmental and financial benefits to customers and local communities.
“At a time when every industry must be looking for innovative solutions – like ours – that can facilitate the UK’s transition to net-zero, it’s fantastic to see United Utilities leading the way. We expect all water companies to use this type of solution to meet their commitments to customers and the environment.”
About Zenobe Energy Ltd. (Zenobē)
Zenobe Energy is one of the largest independent owners and operators of battery storage in the UK with 73 MW of operational assets, around 25% market share of the EV bus sector, its own proprietary software and a large portfolio of projects in the pipeline. Zenobe provides intelligent flexible power solutions to commercial EV fleet operators, utilities and industrial and commercial businesses. The company’s battery storage services help clients manage power more effectively so they can lower costs, improve resilience and reduce their environmental impact. Please visit here to find out more: www.Zenobe.com
About United Utilities
United Utilities is the UK’s largest listed water company and manages the regulated water and wastewater network in North West England – which includes Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside with a combined population of nearly seven million. United Utilities’ headquarters are in Warrington. Its shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100 Index. Please visit here to find out more: https://www.unitedutilities.com/