Foot Anstey advises Innova on landmark sale of 400MW battery energy storage system to Zenobē

Foot Anstey has advised Innova on the sale of a 400MW ready-to-build battery energy storage system (BESS) in Low Harker, Cumbria, to Zenobē, the UK’s leading owner and operator of grid-scale battery storage.

The transaction marks a significant step in the UK’s transition to net zero, with the site contributing towards the government’s ambition of delivering 25GW of BESS capacity by 2030 - a substantial increase from the 6GW currently in place.

Innova began developing the site in 2022, securing planning consent in October 2023. At that point, it was the largest consented battery project in the UK. Foot Anstey supported Innova throughout, advising on all property aspects of the deal including the site assembly work, working closely with the in-house team at Innova.

Commenting on the transaction, Kutahya Cherry, Partner at Foot Anstey, said: "We’re proud to have advised Innova on this landmark transaction. The Low Harker project is an important part of the UK’s energy transition and we look forward to seeing Zenobē take it forward to a fully constructed and connected asset."

Zenobē’s acquisition of the site, which has a 2028 grid connection date, was enabled by the government’s decision to continue with a national rather than zonal approach to electricity pricing.