BW ESS locks in Danske Commodities on 10-year Optimisation Contract for 200 MW Berkswell Battery in the UK

A 10-year floor agreement signed in London on 6 October 2026 will see energy trader Danske Commodities handle trading and optimisation services for the entire Berkswell Battery Energy Storage System, a 200 MW / 857 MWh project that ranks among the largest battery storage schemes in the UK.

The deal covers 100% of the asset and represents a significant step in its commercialisation. Berkswell entered construction in September 2026 and is scheduled to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2027. BW ESS developed the project from greenfield origination and co-owns it with energy and decarbonisation investor AIP Management.

Traders and owners point to long-term value

Kilian Leykam, Chief Commercial Officer of BW ESS, said the agreement gives the project a strong commercial foundation and helps unlock its long-term value. He described Berkswell as a strategically important energy storage project and noted that, with construction under way, the company is another step closer to bringing it online and delivering critical flexibility to the UK grid. Jakob Sørensen, CEO of Danske Commodities, said the company was proud to have been selected by BW ESS to optimise the asset.

He pointed to the firm's more than 15 years of experience in British power markets, saying it would use its trading expertise to maximise the value of the asset while providing the flexibility needed to integrate intermittent renewable generation. The UK, he added, is a core market for the company, and Berkswell is an important addition to its growing portfolio of flexible assets.

Four-hour duration close to major demand centers

The battery system is located near Solihull in the Midlands, a position the companies describe as strategically placed near major centres of electricity demand. Once operational, it will be capable of supporting the electricity needs of around 700,000 UK homes for up to four hours, making it one of the longest-duration battery storage sites in the country.

The project is designed to store electricity when generation is abundant and discharge it when demand rises, supporting the integration of renewable energy and strengthening the resilience, flexibility and security of the UK electricity system. Berkswell is expected to use Sungrow's PowerTitan 3 technology to deliver the efficiency, reliability and performance required by the evolving UK electricity network.

The companies behind the deal

BW ESS is a global energy storage owner-operator with activities in the UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain and Sweden. It has more than 540 MWh of operating Battery Energy Storage Systems, approximately 12 GWh under or pre-construction, and a development pipeline of several gigawatts.

The company is part of BW Group, builds on decades of global infrastructure experience, takes a long-term view of projects and partnerships, and focuses on unlocking value throughout the energy storage asset lifecycle.

Danske Commodities is an energy trading company specialising in power and gas trading, offering balancing, optimisation and hedging services to energy producers and suppliers. It completes more than 130,000 trades every day across more than 40 countries, moving energy from where there is more than needed to where it is needed most. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norwegian energy company Equinor and operates under its own name and brand.