BW ESS Secures Hams Hall BESS Debt Financing for 400 MW / 1,424 MWh

BW ESS, the battery owner-operator, has secured debt financing for its Hams Hall battery energy storage system (BESS) in the West Midlands, England, according to Energy Global. The project is 400 MW / 1,424 MWh at full build, and the company says it will be Europe's largest operational BESS site by megawatt-hour once it reaches commercial operation.

OCBC, Rabobank and Societe Generale provide the debt facility in equal proportions, with Rabobank acting as Facility Agent. BW ESS said more than 30 lenders took part in the process. The transaction is expected to close at the commercial operations date (COD), so the money is committed but not yet drawn on an operating asset. The loan amount was not disclosed.

What Is Being Financed

Hams Hall will initially deliver 350 MW / 1,243 MWh. A second phase takes it to 400 MW / 1,424 MWh. The site sits next to National Grid's Hams Hall substation. BW ESS says the full site could supply the electricity needs of about 1.3 million homes for up to 3.5 hours. That is the company's own figure.

Power and energy are separate numbers here. The 350 MW and 400 MW figures are how fast the site can charge or discharge; the 1,243 MWh and 1,424 MWh figures are how much energy it can hold. The source does not name the battery chemistry or the cell supplier.