CIP’s Coalburn 1 BESS Project Enters Commercial Operation

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, August 12, 2026 — Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its flagship fund Copenhagen Infrastructure IV, has announced that Coalburn 1, a 500 MW / 1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Scotland, has commenced commercial operations.

Located in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, Coalburn 1 is a two-hour lithium-ion battery storage project and is now the largest operational battery energy storage system in Europe.

The project is expected to strengthen the flexibility and resilience of the UK electricity system while supporting the integration of increasing amounts of renewable energy generation.

Coalburn 1 forms part of CIP’s expanding UK energy infrastructure portfolio and is one of three transmission-connected BESS projects developed by the company in Scotland. Together, Coalburn 1, Coalburn 2 and Devilla are expected to provide 1.5 GW of power capacity and 3 GWh of energy storage.

The projects will help improve security of electricity supply, provide greater system flexibility and enable the UK to integrate more renewable power.

According to Nischal Agarwal, Partner at CIP, the commercial operation of Coalburn 1 marks a significant milestone for the company's European BESS portfolio and demonstrates CIP’s ability to develop and deliver large-scale energy infrastructure.

With renewable generation continuing to expand across Europe, large-scale battery storage is becoming increasingly important for grid balancing, energy flexibility and renewable energy integration.