RWE has signed off a £200 million investment to build one of the UK’s largest battery storage facilities in Pembrokeshire, with the announcement made at the Wales Investment Summit in Newport.
The energy company said the project – known as the Pembroke Battery – has now reached full financial closure. It follows planning permission being granted earlier this year, as well as success in the UK’s most recent capacity market auction.
Construction to begin next year
Work on the site, located on 5.1 hectares of land to the south of the existing Pembroke Power Station, is due to start in the first half of 2026. Subject to receiving an updated grid connection on time, commissioning and full operations are expected during the second half of 2028.
The scheme will consist of 212 lithium-ion battery containers. Once operational, the installation will be able to deliver up to 350 megawatts of electricity for as long as two hours, providing 700 megawatt-hours of stored energy. RWE says that output would be enough to power close to 300,000 UK homes for a two-hour period.
‘Flagship storage project’
Nikolaus Valerius, chief executive of RWE Generation SE, said the Pembroke Battery will play a vital role in balancing an increasingly renewable energy system.
He said: “As more renewable projects connect to the grid, the need for technology that can respond instantly becomes greater. Battery systems offer that capability. Pembroke is our flagship storage project in the UK and will support grid stability by storing surplus electricity and releasing it when it is needed most.”
Wales ‘central to UK’s clean energy transition’
First Minister Eluned Morgan told the summit that the investment underlines Wales’ importance in the shift to low-carbon power.
“This is a significant commitment from RWE and further evidence that Wales is at the heart of the UK’s move toward clean, secure energy,” she said. “The Pembroke Battery will support our ambitions for a greener future, while creating opportunities for skilled employment and supply-chain growth across south-west Wales.”
Tom Glover, RWE’s UK country chair, said Wales has the potential to lead the UK across “wind, solar, storage, hydro and emerging technologies” and welcomed the Welsh Government’s approach to unlocking investment.
South Pembrokeshire Senedd Member Samuel Kurtz said: “This £200 million investment by RWE in a major battery storage facility at Pembroke is exactly the kind of bold commitment that reinforces Pembrokeshire’s role as a true powerhouse of energy production. It strengthens the region’s capacity to support the UK’s energy security and demonstrates the confidence that major global companies continue to place in our skilled workforce and strategic location.
“I am immensely proud of the industry that exists on the Haven waterway and have long championed its importance. Announcements such as this signal wider confidence that west really is best when it comes to Pembrokeshire and energy production.”
