CMS advises Fidra Energy on financial close of 500MW West Burton C battery energy storage

CMS has advised Fidra Energy, a European battery energy storage system (BESS) platform headquartered in Edinburgh and backed by EIG and the National Wealth Fund, on reaching financial close on its 500MW/1.1GWh West Burton C battery energy storage project in Nottinghamshire.

West Burton C is located on the site of the former West Burton coal power station, adjacent to the site selected for the UK's first prototype fusion energy plant. The project represents a £250m investment in UK infrastructure, and will be funded through £231m of new loan facilities secured from a club of international lenders, alongside capital already committed by EIG and the National Wealth Fund.

Construction is due to begin later this year, with the project expected to become fully operational in 2028 and capable of supplying electricity to around 300,000 homes during periods of peak demand.

This transaction marks the second major deal CMS has completed for Fidra Energy, following the landmark Thorpe Marsh project in South Yorkshire in September last year, which established Europe's largest BESS project.

Battery energy storage is expected to play a critical role in the UK’s energy transition by supporting greater integration of renewable generation into the grid, reducing curtailment, and enhancing system flexibility and resilience.  The UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan envisages between 22 and 27GW of short-duration battery storage operational by 2030.

Phil Duffield, Energy & Climate Change Partner at CMS UK, commented: “This is another hugely significant milestone for the UK’s battery storage sector, and we are delighted to have supported Fidra Energy in reaching financial close on West Burton C. The project’s scale and location are powerful symbols of the transition taking place across the UK’s energy infrastructure. We’re proud to have played a role in delivering another landmark transaction for Fidra Energy.”

Chris Elder, Fidra Energy’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Reaching financial close on West Burton C is a major step forward for Fidra Energy, and we’re grateful to the CMS team for their invaluable support throughout the process. Their deep knowledge of the battery storage sector, combined with their ability to advise across financing, construction and revenue matters, made them a trusted partner on this transaction, as they were on Thorpe Marsh.”

The CMS team was supervised by Phil Duffield, who led on all aspects relating to project documents and the lender due diligence. CMS Banking & Finance Partner Katie Duffield led on financing aspects; CMS Energy & Climate Change Partner Louise Dalton led on revenue aspects; and CMS Corporate Partner Michael Carroll led on restructuring aspects.

The core CMS team also included Tom Ballard, Hannah Gibson, Alex Ibrahim, Yasmin Kasri, George Bryant, Valentina Olto, Maja Kajdasz, Keren Jemima Austria, Shayaan Ahmad and Oskar Gregorczyk (Energy & Infrastructure); Oliver Brown, Christopher Thorp, Hannalie Gillot, Niamh Neville and Eva Middleton-Smith (Finance); Adam Fenby-Betts, Anna Ghataure and Jessica Slater (Corporate); and Robert Garden and Emily Lock (Planning).

CMS is widely recognised for its influential role in energy storage, advising on some of the highest value, highest profile and first-of-a-kind transactions both in the UK and across Europe. CMS was named Law Firm of the Year at the Energy Storage Awards 2025 and subsequently named Legal Adviser of the Year at the Energy Storage Investment Awards 2025.