More than 200 huge batteries the size of large shipping containers will be erected in Kent to store enough electricity to power over 100,000 homes.

A bid to expand Richborough Energy Park in Thanet across an 11-acre plot of land has been given the green light by councillors.

Papers show the structures – which will take up to two years to install – will be up to 2.9 metres tall and house batteries that will store a combined 249Mw when there is a surplus in the network, before sending it back into the national grid.

Energy giant Pacific Green previously confirmed its intent to acquire the battery storage facility - known as Sheaf Energy Ltd - and says on its website that work has already commenced at the site.

Planning documents produced by Sheaf Energy Ltd say: “The battery storage of electricity is an important piece of the renewable infrastructure and is a key part of the move to a low-carbon network.

“Energy production from renewables and nuclear cannot be ‘turned off’ – the sun still shines and the wind still blows, irrespective of the need at that time.

“The electricity is therefore wasted if it is unused, so battery storage allows for this to be harnessed and delivered to the network at other times.”

The 201 batteries – which will have a lifespan of 30 years – are earmarked to be positioned on a vacant plot currently home to a wind turbine and maintenance shed at the site in Sandwich Road, Manston.

Bosses from Sheaf stress “there are no emissions, noise or vibrations arising from the batteries”, which will be housed in containers with green roofs, despite what CGI indicates.

They add that the construction will create jobs, but once the project is complete it will be managed off-site and will not require staff present on a daily basis.

In February and April 2021, permission was given to two previous versions of the same plan, involving a combined 56 units.

Councillors sitting on Thanet District Council’s planning committee gave the latest proposals the go-ahead despite concerns raised about the origins of the electricity kept inside the batteries.

Cllr Mike Garner (Green and Inds) noted: “If it isn’t renewable energy being stored here, then obviously we’re not particularly taking account of climate change, we’re exacerbating it.”

The land directly borders the Sandwich Bay and Hacklinge Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Cllr Rebecca Wing (Green and Inds) raised fears surrounding the impact the development could have on local wildlife during the meeting.

Prefacing her point with “I failed physics at school”, she asked: “Pylons have an electric field, will these batteries have an electric field, and is that detrimental to the wildlife in the area?”

A planning officer in attendance was unable to answer precisely, but the scheme had already been scrutinised by the Environment Agency.

It raised no objections to the proposal, while the likes of Natural England and Kent County Council’s Biodiversity team also supported the project.

The Richborough Energy Park has recently become a focus for green electricity through its connections to the grid, the Thanet Offshore Windfarm and Europe.