UK needs storage to help balance its power system
UK needs eightfold rise in power storage capacity – Aurora
Developers call for incentives to kickstart investment in storage and balance intermittent renewables
The UK could need up to 24GW of long-duration energy storage (LDES), equivalent to eight times its current installed capacity, to integrate wind power into a secure net-zero electricity system, according to consultancy Aurora Energy Research. Aurora defines LDES as technologies such as pumped storage that can store electricity for four hours or more and supply firm, flexible and fast-responding power to the grid. Deployment of significant LDES capacity on the UK power system by 2030 could cut emissions by 10mn t/yr and reduce system costs by £1.13 bn/yr ($1.54bn/yr), or 2.5pc, Aurora says. LDES deployment could also reduce reliance on gas-fired generation by 50TWh/yr, it says. “The UK’s net-
Also in this section
7 October 2025
As the EU remains deadlocked over its 2040 emissions goal, the IEA has tempered its climate rhetoric, forecasting that oil and gas will continue growing over the coming decades
30 September 2025
Policymakers must match their rhetoric with bolder action if they really want CCUS to scale up to meaningful levels
16 September 2025
For the Kuwait Oil Company, a cornerstone of Kuwait’s economy, corporate social responsibility is not an optional add-on but a deeply embedded responsibility.
12 September 2025
Government support, cost reductions and public trust among the prerequisites for the successful scale-up of CCUS, industry executives tell the Gastech 2025 event in Milan
