Yorkshire electrical engineering firm begins work on Bedford battery storage site

Arlington Energy’s UK portfolio of energy storage and gas peaker projects has expanded once more.

Smith Brothers Contracting Ltd has commenced construction work at a battery site on Greenfield Road, Bedford.

The independent connection provider (ICP), will oversee all private, contestable, and EPC works relating to the 40MW assignment - from initial design, through to final commissioning.

Construction is said to be taking place between now and October 2019, with a focus on achieving energisation prior to the onset of Greenwich Mean Time.

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.”

“The teams at Arlington and Smith Brothers HQ have worked hard to reach this point over the past year, and it’s impressive to see this next chapter of growth - for both firms - paving the way for the future of energy generation.”

The EPC works will include the procurement, delivery, installation and commissioning of 22, 40ft long battery containers, as well as the construction of a solid base for each.

It will also include the fitting of 66 inverters (PCS) and 11 auxiliary transformers.

Once complete, the development will be connected to UK Power Networks (UKPN) via 800m of cabling. Additionally, project-specific SCADA panels will enable the customer to remotely control the entire site.

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.

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.

“It’s wonderful to see our vision coming to life - both at Chesterfield Road and most recently, at Greenfield Road - and it only reaffirms that we made completely the right EPC partner decision to deliver on our ambitions.”