Whitebirk BESS is a 25MW battery energy storage project located in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The project is owned and operated by Field, a UK-based clean energy company focused on developing, building, and operating battery energy storage systems.
The project was financed through a £42 million non-recourse loan from ING and Rabobank in May 2025, which covered three Field projects: Whitebirk (25MW), Holmston (50MW), and Drum Farm (50MW). Whitebirk is the first of the three to become operational.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Whitebirk BESS
- Developer/Owner: Field
- Capacity: 25MW
- Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, England
- Status: ✅ Operational (expected late 2025)
- Financing: £42 million facility (shared with Holmston and Drum Farm)
- BESS Supplier: To be confirmed
Project Significance
- Grid Support: Provides flexible grid regulation services to the Lancashire region
- Part of Field Portfolio: One of three projects financed together, demonstrating the scalability of Field's development platform
- Gaia Optimisation Platform: Field's internal flexibility platform Gaia was first deployed at its Oldham site in December 2024 and will optimise Whitebirk's operations across intraday, wholesale, and balancing markets
Developer Background
Field is a UK-based clean energy company accelerating the shift toward a cleaner, more secure energy system. The company has a growing portfolio of BESS projects across the UK, including Whitebirk, Holmston, Drum Farm, and Newport.
Field's internal optimisation platform, Gaia, uses advanced algorithms to automatically participate in intraday, wholesale, and balancing markets, maximising revenue from each site while supporting grid stability.
Stephen White, Chief Financial Officer of Field, stated: "Battery energy storage systems play an increasingly important role in power systems using clean electricity, reducing the need for curtailment and thereby reducing expensive constraint costs at a time when energy bills are high. We look forward to deploying all three storage sites, increasing the utilisation of Gaia as a leading flexibility platform, and supporting the government's ambitious goal of clean energy by 2030."
Related Links
Information compiled from Field announcements and industry reporting. Last updated: 18 April 2026.