The £1 Billion Gamble That Produces Nothing

When politicians want headlines, they reach for grand promises. The Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Doncaster has become exactly that: a shiny backdrop for Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband to sell their Net Zero dreams.

Reeves declared:

“This investment is a perfect example of how we are pulling every lever at our disposal to grow the economy… Not only will it bring new jobs to Doncaster, but it will also give the city an important role in boosting our national energy security, powering hundreds of thousands of homes.”

Miliband followed:

“It’s fantastic to see the National Wealth Fund breathing new life into a former coal site — turning it into a cutting-edge battery hub… Every battery we build boosts Britain’s energy security, reduces our exposure to fossil fuel price shocks and drives us towards clean power by 2030.”

The project has secured over £1 billion in equity and loans. It is trumpeted as the UK’s largest battery, a miracle solution that will “power 785,000 homes” and “secure the grid.”

But here’s the problem:

batteries don’t generate power. They are storage units, nothing more. Their value depends entirely on what fills them. In summer, when wind and solar produce excess, Thorpe Marsh could store some of it. But in winter.When the UK’s demand is highest and renewables often fall short for weeks at a time  the only available power to charge these batteries will come from fossil gas stations.

That means the UK’s so-called “largest clean battery” could spend long, dark weeks sitting idle, or worse: filled up with fossil power just to discharge it later at a loss. It’s an illusion of progress, not real energy security.

Even Fidra Energy’s own CEO, Chris Elder, admits the dependency:

“Battery energy storage has a crucial roll  storing renewable energy when it is abundant, and releasing it when generation from sources such as wind and solar is low.”

And when renewables aren’t abundant?

The entire £1 billion asset produces nothing.

This isn’t a landmark of innovation ,it’s a monument to political spin. Reeves gets to talk about jobs, Miliband gets to wave the Net Zero flag, and financiers get a government-backed return.

But for ordinary families facing record bills, Thorpe Marsh is just another subsidy-driven gamble that cannot deliver what its champions promise.

When the cold sets in and the wind dies down, the truth will be laid bare:

Britain doesn’t need bigger batteries, it needs real baseload power.