Edinburgh-based battery storage developer Fidra Energy has acquired the Enderby project — a planned 1,025MW battery energy storage facility in Leicestershire — from Innova for an undisclosed sum. The deal follows Blaby District Council’s grant of planning consent in May 2025, and pushes Fidra’s total UK pipeline to over 4GW.
Fidra Energy Acquires Enderby BESS Project from Innova
The Enderby project stands out first for its sheer scale. At up to 1,025MW of planned capacity, it ranks among the largest battery energy storage projects in the United Kingdom. Fidra Energy — headquartered in Edinburgh and backed by EIG and the National Wealth Fund — acquired it from Innova for an undisclosed sum.
Blaby District Council granted planning consent for the Leicestershire site in May 2025. That approval was a prerequisite for the transaction, placing the project on a defined regulatory path forward.
Why the Acquisition Took Place: Strategic Pipeline Growth and Regulatory Eligibility
For Fidra, the deal reflects a clear strategic objective. The company has positioned itself as a developer of large-scale battery storage infrastructure in support of the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, and a project of Enderby’s size moves that goal forward in a meaningful way.
Planning consent also unlocked a significant regulatory opportunity. Following approval, Enderby was confirmed as eligible for the first long-duration energy storage cap and floor scheme application, with a regulatory decision expected by summer 2026 — a scheme specifically designed to reduce investment risk for long-duration storage projects, which matters considerably for Fidra’s financing plans.
The deal also highlights Innova’s recent pace. The company — described as the UK’s largest independent developer of renewable energy projects and data centres — has now completed three utility-scale, transmission-connected BESS project sales in the past 12 months. Those transactions will collectively deliver over 2.4GW of new capacity when built. Daniel Mushin, Chief Finance and Investment Officer of Innova, called Fidra “an excellent counterparty” and said the combined projects would make “a major contribution to the UK’s clean energy targets.”
Project Timeline and Effect on Fidra’s Development Portfolio
Enderby is not an immediate construction project. A final investment decision is expected in 2027, with operations scheduled to begin in 2029 — a timeline that reflects the complexity involved at this scale.
What the acquisition delivers right now is pipeline growth. Fidra’s total UK BESS pipeline stands at over 4.1GW, placing the company among the leading battery storage developers in the country.
Progress elsewhere in the portfolio is already tangible. Construction is underway at Thorpe Marsh in Yorkshire — a 1.4GW/3.1GWh project and Fidra’s largest site currently under development. A final investment decision on West Burton in Nottinghamshire, a 500MW/1.1GWh project, is planned for June 2026. Both sites are expected to be operational by 2028, well ahead of the Enderby timeline.
Morris Van Looy, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer of Fidra Energy, described the acquisition as “another major milestone” in the company’s UK expansion, adding that it demonstrates Fidra’s ambition to “deliver large-scale battery storage infrastructure at pace.”
Background: The Role of Battery Storage in the UK Energy Transition
Battery energy storage serves a specific and increasingly important function on the UK grid. As renewable generation — primarily wind and solar — expands, the grid requires greater flexibility to absorb that output and dispatch it when demand requires. Storage reduces curtailment, meaning less renewable energy goes unused, while also strengthening overall system resilience.
The UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets a defined target: between 22GW and 27GW of short-duration battery storage should be operational by 2030. Reaching that figure from current levels requires large-scale projects to come forward consistently and on schedule. Projects like Enderby are central to that effort — at over 1GW of planned capacity, a single site at this scale makes a measurable contribution to the national total.
Key Takeaways
The Enderby acquisition adds a 1,025MW project to Fidra Energy’s UK portfolio, bringing its total pipeline to over 4.1GW. Planning consent was granted in May 2025, and the project is eligible for the long-duration energy storage cap and floor scheme, with a regulatory decision expected by summer 2026. A final investment decision is planned for 2027, and operations are scheduled to begin in 2029. Fidra also has construction underway at Thorpe Marsh and a near-term investment decision pending at West Burton, with both sites targeting 2028 operations.
Carlos is an engineer with strong expertise in technical and industrial topics. He previously worked at international companies such as Siemens and speaks Spanish, German, English, and Italian.
