- Ares has acquired a significant minority interest in Statera’s approximately 1.9 GW UK flexibility portfolio.
- The investment supports Statera’s expansion plans, although its value and precise ownership percentage remain undisclosed.
- The portfolio combines batteries and flexible generation, with individual projects at different stages of delivery.
Ares Infrastructure Equity funds have acquired a significant minority stake in Statera Energy’s approximately 1.9 GW UK storage and flexible-generation portfolio, providing capital to support the developer’s expansion as demand grows for assets that can balance renewable electricity.
The transaction is Ares Infrastructure Equity’s first European investment. Statera will continue to own, operate and manage the portfolio, with Ares joining as a long-term investor. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“The capital supports our plan to deliver 7 GW of flexible capacity by 2030,” Statera chief executive Tom Vernon said in the original announcement.
Statera also identifies a 16 GW development pipeline. Neither that pipeline nor the 2030 ambition should be read as capacity already financed or under construction. IPE Real Assets independently reported the transaction and confirmed the absence of disclosed financial terms.
The announcement names the 680 MW Carrington Storage project in Greater Manchester and the 750 MW Thurrock development in Essex among the assets covered. However, its description of the portfolio as operational requires qualification against earlier project disclosures.
Carrington reached financial close in November 2025 as a 680 MW / 1,360 MWh battery project, with construction under way and energisation targeted for late 2027. That published timetable places it at a different stage from an operating asset.
Thurrock combines a 300 MW / 600 MWh battery, energised in August 2025, with a 450 MW flexible-generation plant. Statera announced first engine firing at the latter in May 2026, marking the start of phased commissioning, then expected to finish in the autumn. The investment announcement does not separately confirm completion of that programme.
Different forms of flexibility
The mix matters because batteries and fuelled generation perform different functions. Batteries can respond rapidly and move electricity between periods of surplus and scarcity, but their discharge duration depends on how much energy they hold. A generating plant can run for longer if fuel remains available, although its costs and emissions depend on that fuel.
For investors, combining technologies may diversify exposure to different operating conditions. It also introduces different risks: battery degradation, construction delivery, fuel prices and future emissions requirements cannot all be assessed through a single capacity figure.
The transaction offers a useful indication of institutional appetite for UK flexibility, while leaving several commercial questions unanswered. Without a price or detailed ownership structure, it is impossible to calculate an implied portfolio valuation or determine how much capital is available for additional development.
For contractors and equipment suppliers, the most useful signals will be individual projects reaching financial close, placing orders and confirming delivery schedules. A larger pipeline creates potential demand, but suppliers need funded programmes before expanding capacity against it.
UK policymakers will also be watching how the portfolio earns its returns. Flexible assets must receive sufficient revenue to remain available when required, while competition should prevent consumers paying unnecessarily high costs for balancing the system.
Ares’ entry gives Statera a substantial investment partner for that next stage. The practical test will be whether the additional capital helps turn development plans into dependable capacity, delivered on schedules that match the needs of an increasingly renewable electricity system.
