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Plans for massive energy storage facility near Calcott and Sturry lodged by Sky UK Development Ltd

Plans have been revealed for a battery storage site the size of almost nine football pitches on farmland near a Kent hamlet.

Sky UK Development Ltd has submitted paperwork to Canterbury City Council for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) half a kilometre from Calcott, near Sturry.

The proposed battery storage is very close to the Woodlands Farm Solar Farm. Picture: Barry Goodwin
The proposed battery storage is very close to the Woodlands Farm Solar Farm. Picture: Barry Goodwin

The firm wants to build the 227.5MW facility on a 10.6-acre agricultural field a short distance from the A219 Canterbury Road.

Bosses argue the plot is ideal for such a use because it is close to “an available and viable point of grid connection” and is located in an area already with some existing industrial elements.

The project will require a long underground cable to connect to the grid at the Canterbury North substation about 4km south.

Nearby is the Woodlands Farm solar development off Sturry Hill, which began generating power in 2015 and has a capacity of 10MW.

Battery energy Storage Systems hold power from renewables, like solar and wind, and then release it when needed most.

The batteries are usually stored in shipping containers.

The proposed battery storage is very close to the Woodlands Farm Solar Farm, near Sturry
The proposed battery storage is very close to the Woodlands Farm Solar Farm, near Sturry

Sky UK Development writes that the project “will involve the construction of battery storage infrastructure, access tracks, underground cabling, perimeter fencing with CCTV cameras and access gates, a temporary construction compound and all ancillary grid infrastructure and associated works and landscaping.”

Using consultants Neo Environmental, Sky Development has submitted a scoping opinion request to the city council to see if the BESS requires an Environmental Impact Assessment.

The consultants argue “it is unlikely that the proposed development will result in significant environmental effects” and so an EIA will not be required.

Nonetheless, when a planning application is lodged it is expected to include extensive environmental studies.

Any development which hopes to generate more than 50MW needs permission directly from the government to be built.

The site is planned to be “temporary and reversible,” with a lifespan of 40 years after which all the facilities will be removed.

The battery storage site would be connected close to the existing solar farm off Herne Bay Road. Picture: Barry Goodwin
The battery storage site would be connected close to the existing solar farm off Herne Bay Road. Picture: Barry Goodwin

David Browne, of Canterbury-based solar firm Convert Energy, explained: "The proposed BESS in Calcott Hill has more than double the peak rating of the largest finished battery system in the UK (Lakeside Energy Park), although there are larger solar farms in development.

“The proposed location works well from a technical point of view.

“The planned location is connected to an existing solar farm and so can buffer the generation from that farm to help balance the grid.

“The BESS may be able to tap into the grid at the same location by upgrading the connection.

“With the amount of renewable energy generation in the local area delivering variable power generation, the grid needs this large battery to make the best use of it."

David Browne, director of Convert Energy
David Browne, director of Convert Energy

In February last year, Swale Borough Council voted to reject the Battery Safety Management Plan for the BESS at Cleve Hill Solar Park - one of the country’s biggest - near Faversham.

They cited concerns about fires and other disasters, but their rejection was later ruled wrongful by the government and overturned.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

BESS usually use lithium batteries - which cannot be directly extinguished with water if they catch fire, and water is instead used to cool neighbouring battery units to prevent the spread of fire.

However, most systems in the country have run without issue.

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