SAE was delighted on Friday 1 November 2024, to welcome Jessica Morden, the Member of Parliament for Newport East, John Griffiths, the Member of the Senedd for Newport East, and Dimitri Batrouni, the Leader of Newport City Council, to the Uskmouth site. SAE Chairman, Duncan Black, and CEO, Graham Reid, along with senior SAE team members, welcomed the politicians to the Uskmouth Sustainable Energy Park.
SAE has been transforming the Uskmouth site. Once home to a coal fired power station, SAE has utilised the existing infrastructure, land and grid connection to turn it into one of the largest Battery Storage sites in the UK. With one project already in construction and the next due to start construction next year, SAE is making rapid progress in the delivery of over 2GWh of Battery Storage projects, with the potential to expand to over 3.5GWh in the future with longer duration batteries in the future.
The politicians were able to talk about the benefits the regeneration is bringing to the area. With the huge growth in renewable power and the need to decarbonise vital heavy industries, the demand for Battery Storage to support this is critical. The SAE team explained how the Uskmouth Sustainable Energy Park is a major component in unlocking new development opportunities in the region and will help to deliver jobs, investment and vital energy services.
CEO Graham Reid commented: "We were delighted to be able to host the politicians at our Uskmouth Sustainable Energy Park and showcase how we are delivering an exciting future for the site. It is fantastic to receive their continued support and talk about ways we can maximise the benefits and opportunities for the local area."
Jessica Morden MP commented: "It was great to visit the sustainable energy park here in Newport East today. This is a fantastic example of a site transformed from traditional energy production to one supporting energy sources for the twenty-first century and helping the country transition to net zero."
John Griffiths MS commented: "The Uskmouth Power Station and the surrounding land has played an important part in Wales' energy capacity and history over the years. But as we look towards the future, we must be looking at how we use renewables - and that's why SAE's plans for the site with new technologies developing all the time are very exciting ones.
"These ambitious proposals can also be a great opportunity to create well paid and highly skilled local jobs - and I look forward to working with the company, supported by the city council, in making this a Newport success story."
Dimitri Batrouni, Leader of Newport City Council commented: "It was extremely interesting to hear of the company's plans for the site and how it is being adapted to meet the changing requirements of our modern world.
"Uskmouth Power Station once played a vital role in the local economy and the city will need its energy in the future to meet our energy demands. I look forward to the site reaching its potential of becoming important again to the growth of the sustainable energy industry and helping to deliver local investment and employment once again."