Permission to build a 99.9MW energy storage project in the UK has been granted to renewable energy company RES.
The Lakeside Energy Storage project in North Yorkshire will store power from the national grid at times of low demand and high renewables generation, with the stored energy exported back to the grid at times of high demand and lower renewable generation.
RES has permission for 51 energy storage containers and 42 transformers.
A RES spokesman told BEST they were “not at the stage to be able to provide details” on the type and chemistry of the battery or who would supply them.
Construction is expected to begin late next year, and the site is set to be fully operational by late 2023.
Until last July, energy storage developers were effectively capped at 49.9MW due to Britain’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) process, which meant projects over 50MW had to go through a planning process.
Since the ruling a number of 50MW+ projects have been announced.
The biggest of which is InterGen’s 320MW/640MWh lithium-ion battery site at DP World London Gateway, on the Thames Estuary in Essex, England.
The £200 million ($267 million) project will be designed to include potential for expanding up to 1.3GWh.
The UK has a total pipeline of 19.9GW of projects, including: 1.3GW of operational energy storage; 6.2GW in planning; 6.9GW with planning permission (but not grid connection approval) and 1.8GW is ready to be built, according to industry analysts Solar Media Market Research.
