Two major British law firms have been commended for their part in greening Arsenal FC’s Emirates stadium.

The North London stadium (pictured) has launched a battery storage system in its basement that will slash the club’s electricity costs.

Funders Downing LLP (represented by Bristol-based law firm Burges Salmon) partnered with Pivot Power and Arsenal FC (represented by lawyers Slaughter and May) to develop the project.

Ground-breaking

In a ground-breaking move for the Emirates – and a first for any British football club – the large-scale battery storage system will power the stadium on match days and provide green energy back to the grid.

The system can power the 60,000-seater stadium for an entire match from its basement storage area.

UK-based Pivot Power installed the battery system, with funding arranged by Downing LLP and facilitated by Octopus Energy, over a three-year project cycle.

The system will help Premier League side Arsenal avoid the tripled rates of peak-time commercial power in the British capital, and store lower-cost power for high-demand match days.

Supply deal

In August, Arsenal signed a green-energy supply deal with utility Octopus Energy to manage the stadium’s wholesale power-trading strategy.

Its boss Greg Jackson said: “Arsenal took a lead in sustainable energy by switching to Octopus in 2016, and we have worked together to make the Emirates ever greener.

“Arsenal is now the first top-flight club with battery storage, allowing it to use cheap renewable energy, even at peak times.”

Sustainability

The club’s operations direction Hywel Sloman said the sustainability payoff was a key attraction.

“The main draw is that it’s really interesting and innovative, it can give us reusable energy, which is important to us. It's something we're very proud of,” he told trade press publication Current± at the launch on 27 November.

Law firms Burges Salmon and Slaughter and May were both congratulated at the launch for their work in developing the project.