A planning application for what is thought to be the largest battery energy storage system currently being planned in the UK, and one of the largest anywhere in the world, has been submitted to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council for review.
Renewable energy, minerals and property firm The Banks Group is looking to create a new flexible energy storage hub through the reclamation and restoration of part of the former Thorpe Marsh power station site near Doncaster.
Lewis Stokes, senior community relations manager at The Banks Group, says: “This is a nationally significant scheme that will put South Yorkshire at the forefront of developments in the increasingly important energy storage industry, and we’re excited to have reached this stage in its realisation.
“The response we’ve had to our ideas from local people, businesses and community leaders so far has been very encouraging and we’ll continue to speak with as many people as we can in the coming months about everything that this project would deliver.”
The Thorpe Marsh Green Energy Hub could store up to 2.8GWhrs of energy, which is enough to supply around 340,000 households with electricity for one day, and would be used to ensure reliable and stable electricity grid operation at times of peak demand, helping to improve the UK’s energy security over the long term.
It would also feature a number of integrated environmental enhancements, including wetlands, woodlands and species-rich grassland, while a range of other economic and social benefits would also follow from its development.
A separate planning application to complete the reclamation of the power station’s former ash disposal area through the recovery of up to 2.25 million tonnes of pulverised fuel ash (PFA) over a four-year period will be finalised in the coming months.
As part of the overall scheme, the existing rail connection on the site would be recommissioned to ensure that the primary method of removing any material from the site or receiving deliveries could be by rail, rather than by HGVs on local roads.
Banks is hoping to have the energy hub up and running by the end of 2028 if planning approval is granted.
Lewis Stokes continues: “Our vision is to deliver a range of long-term environmental, energy security, employment, economic and community benefits through the reclamation and restoration of this landmark site while also supporting the UK’s drive towards its crucial net zero targets.
“The Thorpe Marsh Green Energy Hub would utilise the site’s large grid capacity to facilitate the increased deployment of homegrown renewable energy technologies on the National Grid network, so that more of the energy we all use in our homes, businesses, schools and hospitals can be generated via our own renewable means and less from unreliable sources overseas.”
