Battery storage plays an important role in the decarbonisation of Ireland's electricity system. It provides the electricity system with the capability to manage over supply of renewable energy such as wind and solar and enables the network to integrate more renewables by managing system constraints. We currently have more than 300MWs of battery storage capacity in operation in Ireland, making it one of the largest battery portfolios in Europe.
As part of our Pathway Report, we plan to build and deploy 3TWh of hydrogen storage and battery storage facilities so that we can achieve our net zero ambitions by 2040.
We are at the forefront of developing battery systems, supporting the decarbonisation of Ireland's electricity system.
We plan to develop a pipeline of large scale battery projects, as well as additional renewable enabling technologies. This is crucial to supporting the balancing of the grid and will facilitate even more onshore wind, offshore wind and solar onto the electricity system in the coming decades.
ESB has shown its commitment to battery storage technology through active investment. We have over 300MWs of two-hour storage across five sites, enough to power around 200,000 homes. That represents an investment of €300million.
We commissioned our first battery energy storage system at our Aghada generating site in Co Cork in 2022 which is capable of powering 19MW. We are also constructing a second battery on the same site which will generate 150MW.
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The Kylemore Battery Energy Storage System in Dublin went into operation in 2023 and has the capability of providing 30MW of fast-acting storage.
The Poolbeg Battery Energy Storage System in Dublin went into operation in November 2023 and has the capability of providing 75MW of fast-acting energy storage. It is located at Poolbeg Energy Hub where we plan to deploy a combination of clean energy technologies, including offshore wind and hydrogen over the coming decade.
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The South Wall Battery Energy Storage System went live in 2023 and has the capability of providing 30MW of fast-acting energy storage.
Meet James Tobin, a project manager working on our battery portfolio. James tells us about his own career path in ESB, the key challenges in delivering the organisation's portfolio of projects and how they will benefit the country's energy system.
He also offers great advice for those who are considering a career in the energy industry.
