Jones Bros secures contract to help deliver UK’s largest battery energy storage scheme22nd Sep 2025

A leading civil engineering firm has been appointed principal contractor for the earthworks and drainage on the UK’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS) scheme.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK will undertake civil works at the multi-million-pound Thorpe Marsh site in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Three times larger than any other BESS project currently in operation or under construction in the UK, the development will be capable of exporting more than two million MWh annually, which is enough to supply around 785,000 homes each year.

As part of its contract, Jones Bros will deliver more than 500,000m³ of cut / fill earthworks, which require specialist engineering techniques and stringent testing as the project is developed utilising existing pulverised fly ash.

The team of up to 60, including apprentices and trainees, will also complete close to 4km of deep surface water drainage for Fidra Energy, which hopes to have the site operational by the middle of 2027.

Senior contract manager Dafydd Elis said: “Battery storage is vital to the UK’s energy transition, providing important stability for the integration of renewables into the grid.

“Jones Bros is currently undertaking a number of these schemes, and we look forward to working on what will be the country’s biggest, and one of the leading BESS developments in the whole of Europe.

“Our skilled team is mobilised on site, and we have secured new plant that will help deliver the activity to our usual high standard by the end of 2025.”

Thorpe Marsh has been given the green light after Fidra Energy secured new equity investment from EIG and the National Wealth Fund, which will also help finance the BESS project at West Burton, Nottinghamshire.

Both sites will provide up to 11 per cent of the additional storage capacity needed under the government’s Clean Power 2030 mission.

Chris Elder, Fidra Energy’s chief executive officer, said: “Thorpe Marsh is one of the most exciting infrastructure projects in the world and a landmark transaction in the energy sector. The investment by EIG and the NWF is testament to the outstanding team at Fidra and everyone who has supported us on the project.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “This investment is a perfect example of how we are pulling every lever at our disposal to grow the economy to put more money in people’s pockets – building on our achievement of being the fastest growing nation in the G7 for the first half of this year.”

Energy secretary Ed Miliband added: “It’s fantastic to see the National Wealth Fund breathing new life into a former coal site — turning it into a cutting-edge battery hub that will power thousands of British homes and businesses with clean energy from wind and solar.

“Every battery we build boosts Britain’s energy security, reduces our exposure to fossil fuel price shocks and drives us towards clean power by 2030 – all part of our Plan for Change.”

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros owns one of the largest plant fleets in the UK and employs approximately 500 people.

The company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highways, flood and marine defence, waste management, and renewable energy around the UK.

The company runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has produced nearly 40 per cent of its current workforce, with many of its senior managers having started out as apprentices or in a trainee role. It has recruited hundreds of apprentices over the years.