John Wainwright & Co. Ltd partners with Wattstor on major solar and battery storage project

London, Tuesday 21 July – John Wainwright & Co. Ltd partners with Wattstor on major solar and battery storage project to power business growth

• 135-year-old family-owned quarrying and construction materials business installs 2MW solar and a 5MWh battery system to support sustainability and growth ambitions
• Additional benefits include lower energy costs, 50% reduction in Scope 2 emissions, long-term price certainty and ability to shift energy demand
• The project, developed and managed by Wattstor, will provide over half (54%) of John Wainwright & Co. Ltd quarry’s electricity needs

Leading Somerset-based quarrying and construction materials business, John Wainwright and Co. Ltd, (Wainwright) has signed a major new partnership with Wattstor that will provide protection from future energy price volatility and support its sustainability agenda.

A new 2MW solar PV array and innovative 5MWh battery storage system will be installed at Wainwright’s Moons Hill quarry in Stoke St Michael, marking a major step in supporting the business’s ambition to power its site using renewable sources, as well as helping it achieve its long-term expansion plans.

In addition, Wainwright will benefit from Wattstor’s renewable energy tariff, Price Protect, which caps exposure to high market prices while allowing the business to benefit when prices fall, providing valuable long-term certainty with its energy costs. 

The Price Protect tariff also means that, for the first time, Wainwright will have the ability to look ahead and take advantage of price signals, enabling it to shift some of its most energy intensive processes to times of lower demand, reducing overall costs.

Kevin Ball, Chief Commercial Officer at Wattstor, observed:

“For energy intensive industries, such as quarrying, that require significant amounts of power for heavy industrial equipment and heat, the recent volatility in the wholesale energy markets has created major uncertainty. Our solution means that Wainwright will benefit from more than double the amount of solar power, resulting in a 50% reduction in its Scope 2 emissions, and increase the potential for more onsite renewable energy to be installed in the future.”

Tom Longland, CEO at John Wainwright and Co.,  added:

“Sustainability is hardwired into everything we do. As well as powering industrial equipment such as pumps and bitumen tanks, we have a growing fleet of electric vehicles and a strong commitment to our local community. This project means we can confidently say to our customers that they are buying from a supplier who truly cares about its environmental impact, giving us a competitive advantage in our industry.”

Could your business benefit?

Businesses facing rising energy costs, planning to electrify their vehicle fleets or operations, or constrained by grid connection challenges can benefit from Wattstor’s integrated approach to onsite generation, battery storage and flexible energy supply. Find out more about our Price Protect tariff and how it can help your business manage energy costs with greater certainty, or get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements.