Statera Energy’s Thurrock Power plant has reached a significant construction milestone after completing engine firing on its first unit, advancing a project designed with a future pathway to transition from natural gas to hydrogen.
The 450-megawatt flexible generation facility, located in Thurrock in the United Kingdom, is now progressing toward full operational status, which the developer expects to achieve by autumn 2026.
Once online, the plant will be capable of supplying dispatchable electricity equivalent to the needs of up to 1.5 million homes, providing critical backup capacity during periods when wind and solar output fall short of demand.
Thurrock Power forms one half of a broader infrastructure programme known as the Thurrock Flexible Generation project.
It sits adjacent to Thurrock Storage, a 300-megawatt, 600-megawatt-hour battery facility that was energised in August 2025.
Together, the two assets will deliver 750 megawatts of combined flexible generation and storage capacity to the national grid.
The paired design reflects a deliberate approach to grid support across different timescales.
The battery system will handle fast-response balancing requirements, reacting in seconds to sudden fluctuations in supply or demand.
Thurrock Power, meanwhile, will operate during more sustained periods of low renewable output, providing the kind of extended backup that battery storage alone cannot deliver.
The result is a complementary pairing of rapid response and longer-duration generation at a single site.
Funding for the project includes £395 million, equivalent to approximately US$530 million, in debt financing.
Statera has also secured a long-term route-to-market agreement with Statkraft, the Norwegian state-owned energy company, providing commercial certainty for the project over an extended period.
The plant’s hydrogen-ready design means it has been built to accommodate a future fuel switch away from natural gas, positioning the facility for a lower-carbon role as hydrogen supply chains develop.
The site is already making contributions to the local area, with an apprenticeship programme in place and active biodiversity enhancement work underway on the grounds.
The completion of first firing places Thurrock Power on a clear trajectory toward becoming one of the UK’s larger dispatchable power assets.
As the country continues to add intermittent renewable capacity to the grid, flexible generation projects of this scale are expected to play an increasingly important role in maintaining system reliability.
Commissioning activities at the site are ongoing, with the remaining units expected to follow the first through the firing and testing sequence in the months ahead.
