Welkin Mill
Stockport
Greater Manchester
35 MW
Completed 2025
Welkin Mill is a 35 MW (70MWh) utility-scale BESS, developed and delivered by Noriker in partnership with Equinor. The project is located in a built up industrial area on the outskirts of Stockport and connects to the nearby Vernon Park substation, operated by Electricity North West Limited (ENWL). The site achieved commercial operation in January 2025.
Noriker managed the project from early-stage development through to commercial operations and now have oversight of the O&M services on behalf of Equinor. Tasks delivered by Noriker ranged from securing planning approvals, managing environmental assessments, overseeing the DNO/IDNO grid connection process, construction management, and supporting integration with the Asset Optimiser.
Cable routing challenges
A major project challenge was installing the 33kV cable between the BESS and DNO substation. This complex cable route crossed local highways, private and council land and National Grid property. The route was highly congested with electricity cables at multiple voltages, as well as a high pressure gas pipeline. With support from Noriker's in-house legal team, physical surveys and careful project management, the required easements and wayleaves were obtained, and a cable route designed and delivered, minimising project impact.
Project design
The site was typical of an historically industrial area, impacted by the high pressure gas pipeline, overhead and underground cables and culverts, and with deep made-ground. With a large “sterilised” area, Noriker's engineering team needed to optimise land use around all these constraints, without impacting build costs or operational efficiency. With a community football club as a neighbour, we even had to install a 5m-high ball-stop net to prevent stray volleys ending up in the site. The final design made such efficient use of the site that we were able to use a significant proportion of the site as a wildflower meadow, creating a net biodiversity improvement within the original footprint.
Delivery of this 35MW BESS project highlighted the true depth of Noriker's skill set, from dealing with multiple stakeholders to resolving technical engineering issues and finally handing over a commercially operational site to the Asset Owner, within budget.
With Noriker's ongoing O&M support, Welkin Mill continues to deliver on its performance requirements and will help to support the grid towards a greener future.