3.2-acre battery storage plan for village
Batteries would be size of shipping containers, surrounded by 2.4m mesh fence
PLANS have been put forward for a large energy storage facility in a Moorlands village to help the UK reach its net-zero carbon target.
A planning application has been submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council by Simeon Batov of REPD Ltd for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with ancillary infrastructure, security fence, access, landscaping and biodiversity enhancements, to provide balancing services to the local electricity grid at Newfields Farm, Rownall Road, Wetley Rocks.
The site is located adjacent to the existing Cellarhead substation and the proposed facility would consist of:
Battery containers (approximately 12.2m x 2.4m x 2.9m) – these are standard size 40-foot shipping containers
Transformers – for increasing or decrease alternating current (AC)
Inverters – for converting direct current (DC) electricity as their input into AC electricity as their output.
One 132kv substation.
DNO Control Building – for housing Distribution Network Operator equipment
Perimeter welded mesh fence approximately 2.4m high with entrance gates, surrounded on the western side by an acoustic fence and further visual screening to a height of three metres.
CCTV cameras mounted on posts. One spare parts container (tools and monitoring equipment).
A planning statement said: “The proposed development is for a Battery Energy Storage System facility covering an area of approximately 3.2 acres, capable of storing approximately 99.9 Megawatts of power for supply to the local distribution network.
“The purpose of the development is to support the UK’S goal of net-zero carbon by 2050 through the provision of renewable energy generation.
“A zero carbon energy system cannot function without the associated infrastructure provided by BESS.
“There have been a number of proposals for other sites in the vicinity of the Cellarhead substation, but not on the site of this proposal.
“The proposed development will consist of an enclosed compound area containing battery containers, ancillary infrastructure, access tracks, a new 132kv substation, a security fencing and ecological enhancements.
“The proposal is for sufficient capacity to store around 100MW of energy. The connection to the existing substation will be made via underground cable and connection mast.
“The containers will provide housing for battery infrastructure management systems, a power distribution system, and auxiliary systems such as fire suppression and alarm systems, ventilation and cooling system, internal lighting and thermal control systems.
“The site area will be enclosed within a wire mesh fence, enhanced by screening from existing and new vegetation, reducing visual impact and improving biodiversity.
“The system is designed to deliver a two-hour supply of 100MW of electricity from full charge, and is anticipated to operate for approximately 1,500 hours per year.
“The batteries will typically discharge during peak hours of demand, 8-10am and 4-6pm and are unlikely to be discharging at night. The batteries are more likely to be charging during night time hours at periods of low demand using surplus energy that has been generated.”
With regard to pre-application discussions and community engagement the planning statement added: “A request for pre-application advice was submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council on November 15, 2021.
“On December 14, 2021, the district council replied that at this time our pre-application request is not on their immediate list of priority applications to be dealt with.
“With no pre-application advice received from the district council, the applicant – who is involved in a number of similar schemes in operation, construction or development – has relied on specialist planning, technical and environmental surveys and advice from consultants who have experience with similar BESS developments in other locations to inform the application.”
Planners are expected to give a decision on the application in about 12 weeks.