BP meets AI as oil giant seals big UK battery power deal

Supermajor says agreement first of its kind since tech acquisition as transition plans come under scrutiny following Looney exit

BP sealed a power trading deal to handle energy stored by two large-scale battery systems in the UK, in a first-of-a-kind deployment of specialist AI-enabled software technology acquired by the company.

The UK-based supermajor will provide physical power trading and optimisation for 80MW/160MWh of storage under development by Harmony Energy Income Trust that is due to come online in the first half of next year.

BP sealed a power trading deal to handle energy stored by two large-scale battery systems in the UK, in a first-of-a-kind deployment of specialist AI-enabled software technology acquired by the company.

The UK-based supermajor will provide physical power trading and optimisation for 80MW/160MWh of storage under development by Harmony Energy Income Trust that is due to come online in the first half of next year.

The two battery arrays – with enough capacity to power about 200,000 homes for two hours – will store grid electricity during periods of low demand for discharge when needed to meet peaks or help smooth out supply from variable renewables as more take their place on the UK network.

BP said the deal is the first outing with new battery assets for AI-driven technology it has been integrating since 2021 when it bought Open Energi, a specialist real-time software platform to optimise energy management and help connect more effectively with power markets.

Hormoz Ala, senior manager in European power for BP said: “This deal represents a significant opportunity to combine BP’s established experience in power trading with Harmony’s track record in battery development to help safeguard the stability of the GB power grid.”

The Open Energi deal was part of a wider push by BP into the power sector that also includes major forays into generation assets such as onshore wind and solar, billed by the supermajor as a key plank of a broader integrated energy strategy.

The future direction of BP’s energy transition agenda is under intense scrutiny as the oil giant lines up a permanent replacement for former CEO Bernard Looney, who launched its net zero push in 2020 but earlier in September quit amid a company probe into personal relationships with colleagues.

Finance chief Murray Auchincloss has stepped up to be acting CEO following Looney's departure.

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