Blandford Road

Blandford Road is a 25 MW (50MWh) utility-scale BESS, developed by Noriker and delivered in partnership with Equinor, as Equinor's first UK BESS project.

The project is located in Dorset, on the outskirts of Poole and connects to the nearby Lytchett substation, operated by Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).

Noriker provided the full suite of project lifecycle services from early-stage development of originating the site in 2022 and securement of planning approval, through to construction management and commissioning of the project to successfully enter commercial operations in December 2024. Throughout the project, Noriker acted on behalf of Equinor as the Owner's Engineer, ensuring thorough technical due diligence and stakeholder management.

Noriker continue to support the project during the operational phase in collaboration with the owner by overseeing the O&M service provider and ensuring reliable support for the Noricore SCADA system, which was implemented on the project by the in-house team.

As a newly initiated BESS project in the UK for the owner, construction EPC and local DNO, the endeavour involved multiple teams from different backgrounds and cultures collaborating for the first time. Drawing upon previous experience, knowledge in the BESS sector and through proactive communication, the Noriker team played a pivotal role in managing the complex interfaces between the parties and disciplines to ensure successful delivery of the project.

A technical challenge associated with the project was to achieve grid code compliance. When large BESS transformers, used to connect the battery storage plant to the local 33kV electrical grid, are energised - this can lead to excessive voltage disturbances on the wider electricity network and disrupt BESS operations. In collaboration with the inverter OEM and utilising the flexibility of the Noricore SCADA system, the team was able to implement an automated transformer pre-magnetisation control strategy to achieve full compliance, avoid grid disturbance, and ensure the correct BESS operational response to unplanned grid outages.

Delivery of this 25MW BESS project, highlighted the true depth of Noriker's skill set, from dealing with multiple stakeholders to resolving technical engineering issues and finally delivering a commercially operational site to the Asset Owner.

With Noriker's ongoing O&M support, Blandford Road continues to deliver on its performance requirements and will help to support the grid towards a greener future.