Co Tyrone renewable energy company Solo Renewables has partnered with Swiss global independent asset manager Capital Dynamics to develop a £100 million (approximately €119 million) long duration energy storage system off the Antrim coast, in a deal set to strengthen Northern Ireland's energy security. The joint venture will deliver a 150 MW facility with up to eight hours of storage capacity, equivalent to 1,200 MWh, making it among the first large-scale long duration storage sites developed within the Irish Single Electricity Market.

The Irish News reported that planning approval for the Islandmagee project has already been granted by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, with the site located adjacent to the Moyle Interconnector, a 500 MW link between Ayrshire and Ballycronan More managed by Mutual Energy. Northern Ireland's electricity transmission system operator SONI will now draw up a grid map, with NIE Networks responsible for building the required infrastructure.

The facility is projected to be operational by 2029, at which point it will provide sufficient energy to power 36,000 households daily. Capital Dynamics, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, has more than US$15 billion (approximately €13.8 billion) in assets under management.

Andrew Hutchinson, a director at Solo Renewables, said Northern Ireland has great potential to create and use more renewable electricity locally, but that this can only happen by increasing the ability to store wind and solar energy that cannot be used at the time it is produced.

Barney Coles, senior managing director and co-head of clean energy at Capital Dynamics, said long duration storage has a critical role to play in supporting Northern Ireland's energy transition and is a fast and efficient way to strengthen grid resilience as renewable generation continues to grow.

Read the full report on the Islandmagee long duration energy storage project.