Invinity Energy Systems makes vanadium flow batteries, which can store electricity from wind and sun for many hours. The company employs around 70 people in Scotland and had planned to expand production, which could have created up to 1,000 jobs in the Central Belt. It received £25m from the public National Wealth Fund to develop the technology.
The expansion was to rely on orders under Ofgem’s long-duration electricity storage scheme. The scheme works on a “cap and floor” model: the investor is guaranteed a minimum revenue, and any surplus above a set cap goes to consumers. In the first, initial round Ofgem selected 16 projects. Of 21 proposals based on Invinity’s technology, only one went through.
Chief executive Jonathan Marren told The Times that the company must decide quickly what to do with its UK plants and is considering a greater focus on the US and Europe. Bathgate and Linlithgow MP Kirsteen Sullivan is urging the government to protect the jobs. The energy department responds in general terms that it supports Ofgem’s scheme. The regulator’s final decision is due in autumn 2026.
Editorial comment
This is not a dispute between one company and a regulator. It is a test of whether public money spent on developing technology will translate into factories and jobs in Scotland, or into exporting that technology abroad. A company backed with £25m from a public fund is announcing that without domestic orders it may leave. For the region it is a warning sign: start-up support is not enough without a stable market. Ofgem’s decision will show whether the government is betting on the lowest cost today or on domestic industry.
What to do
- Employees of Invinity and firms in its supply chain: follow Ofgem’s decision and company announcements, and update your CV now. Electrical engineering and manufacturing skills are in demand in Scotland’s wind energy sector.
- Invinity’s suppliers and subcontractors: check what percentage of your turnover depends on this customer and prepare a plan in case orders are cut.
- Businesses receiving public support: read the grant conditions. They often include an obligation to keep jobs or production in the country for a set period.
- Residents of the Bathgate and Linlithgow constituency: you can raise the matter directly with the MP, who is already intervening.
Sources
Original editorial content by The Business Time, based on the sources listed. Illustrative photo.
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