Enso Energy welcomes the successful financial close of the Bumble Bee co-located renewable energy project, developed in partnership with Cero Generation.
The project will connect to the West Burton substation near Doncaster and will deliver 78 MWp of solar PV generation alongside a 120 MW battery energy storage system (BESS), combining renewable electricity production with flexible storage capacity behind a single grid connection.
Bumble Bee forms part of the Enso–Cero development portfolio in the UK and represents another project progressing from development into construction.
The project has secured financing from a group of lenders including ING, NORD/LB, Rabobank and Santander UK, and is being delivered through Cero’s Gemini portfolio facility.
Construction is expected to begin in the coming months. Metlen has been appointed as engineering, procurement and construction contractor, with JA Solar supplying the solar modules and Sungrow Power providing the battery energy storage system.
A long-term tolling agreement with ENGIE will cover a portion of the battery capacity, with EDF providing optimisation services for the remaining battery capacity and route-to-market services for the solar PV generation.
Bill Rees, Managing Director of Enso Energy, said:
“Reaching financial close on this project reflects both the strength of our partnership with Cero and the dedication of the Enso team. Through the Connection Reform process, early engagement with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and NESO, including confirmation of connection dates for both technologies, has been invaluable in keeping the project on track.
This project also shows why co-location is essential. By constructing solar and battery storage in parallel behind one grid connection, we deliver more capacity, faster and more efficiently — exactly what CP30 is intended to achieve.”