German energy leader RWE has officially given the financial green light to a landmark £200 million battery storage development in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The significant investment was formally announced during the Welsh Government's Wales Investment Summit, held at the ICC Wales in Newport.
Project Details and Construction Timeline
The RWE Pembroke Battery scheme, which received its planning consent in January 2025, has now achieved financial closure. The project also secured a successful position in the UK's latest capacity market auction, underlining its importance to the nation's energy security.
Construction work on the facility is scheduled to commence in the first half of 2026. Subject to receiving a timely updated grid connection, commissioning and the start of operations are anticipated for the second half of 2028.
Scale and Capacity of the Pembroke Facility
The storage system will be situated on a 5.1-hectare plot of land to the south of RWE's existing Pembroke Power Station. The infrastructure will consist of 212 lithium-ion battery containers.
Once fully operational, the battery will be capable of continuously discharging 350 megawatts (MW) of electricity directly into the national grid for two hours. This equates to 700 megawatt-hours (MWh) of stored energy – enough to meet the electricity demands of approximately 300,000 typical UK homes for a two-hour period.
Leadership and Strategic Importance
Nikolaus Valerius, Chief Executive of RWE Generation SE, emphasised the project's role in a changing energy landscape. "In a dynamic energy world with more and more renewable energy, there is an increasing need for mature technologies that can instantly support the electricity grid," he stated. "Battery storage systems are ideal for this because they are fast, efficient and competitive."
He described the Pembroke Battery as RWE's UK flagship storage project, highlighting its contribution to stabilising the UK energy market by storing surplus power and feeding it back into the grid when needed.
Wales's First Minister, Eluned Morgan, welcomed the investment, stating: "This significant investment by RWE demonstrates Wales' central role in the UK’s transition to clean and renewable electricity. The Pembroke Battery Storage facility will support our ambitions for a cleaner, more secure energy future while at the same time creating opportunities for good jobs and local communities across South Wales."
Tom Glover, RWE's UK Country Chair, added: "Wales has significant potential to lead the UK’s clean energy transition across wind, solar, storage, hydro, and emerging technologies. Despite the challenges facing energy projects everywhere, we see a government determined to unlock this opportunity for the benefit of communities across Wales—something we strongly support."
