Reliance Energy is proposing to develop a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility on the land to the west of Worset Lane, at the junction of the A179.
Our formal consultation period is now closed. However, we welcome requests for further information about this project using the online form below.
Our proposed site is located to the west of Worset Lane, south of the A179. The site area covers approximately 1.68 hectares of land and is bordered by overhead lines and underground electricity cables, as well as existing energy infrastructure.
“There is literally nowhere closer to where it is needed”
In 2021, as part of its national Stability Pathfinder Scheme, National Grid identified the specific region of North-East England, including the location of this proposed development, as being in need of reinforcement to maintain a stable energy supply.
The substation at Worset Lane (Hartmoor Substation) is at the heart of the area of need, and has capacity and space to reinforce the network to support the local area. Supporting facilities, such as the BESS project proposed here, will need to connect to this substation in order to help avoid power cuts to local homes and businesses in the future.
Our proposed development at Worset Lane West is the closest available location to the substation.
This has the benefit of:
Click on the images below to view them at full size.
We are proposing to develop a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility that could store up to 50MW of energy, to be distributed when needed.
The system will be made up of 28 lithium-ion battery containers and 14 inverter containers, as well as transformers and associated infrastructure to connect to the substation. The facility has been designed within the constraints of the overhead lines and underground cables to keep the site small and compact (1.68ha).
We have taken a landscape-led approach to design and orientation, working in consultation with independent landscape and ecological specialists, and in line with the standards expected by the local planning authority. This means that our layout design includes natural planted “green” edges, minimising views into the BESS facility, as well as screening parts of the existing energy infrastructure.
This will be created by supplementing existing hedgerows along with additional new planting using appropriate local, native and naturalised species.
To assist in understanding what the BESS facility will look like, we have prepared visualisations from three viewpoints. These are shown below.
Produced by our landscape and visual impact consultants, these montages show how the site will look in one year from construction, and when mature at year fifteen.
Our robust landscaping scheme means the site is barely visible from surrounding viewpoints, is in keeping with the local landscape and assists in screening parts of the existing substation.
Click on the images below to view them at full size. The project area has been marked with a yellow rectangle in each image, to highlight the changes over time.
You will not be able to hear the facility unless you are standing right next to it. The battery systems do not use engines, so any noise from the development comes from the cooling systems.
When operational, the facility will be required to not exceed the current background noise levels of the local area. These levels have been independently surveyed by measuring the background noise at various receptors close to the proposed development site.
After consulting with the local community and the local planning authority, it was clear that the cumulative impact of surrounding development proposals was of particular interest.
Our additional cumulative visual impact assessment shows that the proposed site at Worset Lane West can be accommodated with minimal impact. This is due to the compact size of the site, and robust landscaping proposal.
The facility would be expected to operate for up to 40 years at the end of which it would be decommissioned safely. The equipment would be removed, and the land could be restored to its current condition, or elements could be reused for future projects.
The development will take approximately 8-12 months to construct. Construction will involve a series of concrete bases, laying service trenches and an access road, as well as installing fencing, CCTV, and secure gates. The batteries are placed into containers off-site, and craned into position. Building would take place within normal construction hours Monday to Friday (8am – 6pm), with the potential to include Saturday mornings (8am – 1pm), but would not take place on Sundays or Bank Holidays.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) facilities are industrial scale battery storage solutions that support the UK’s energy network. On this scale, the batteries used by these facilities are rechargeable energy storage devices that convert between chemical and electrical energy as required.
The UK Government’s commitment to ‘Net Zero’ by 2050 requires more sustainable energy production, such as solar and wind development. Combined with the UK closing old, large-scale coal and nuclear power stations, this has put pressure on electricity distribution.
Therefore, the installation of BESS developments, such as the one proposed here, support the UK to achieve a greener, more stable energy supply.
Implementing BESS facilities throughout the UK supports the energy network in the following ways:
After consulting with the local community, we have included key points of feedback into our proposed plans:
Improved traffic management
Improved screening and biodiversity
Reliance Energy is a UK based developer and professional services company, helping organisations to develop facilities that provide sustainable power solutions and balancing services to the UK’s electricity network.
Our site qualification process is focused on planning constraints and other relevant stakeholder considerations. We check land use designations, environmental factors and proximity to residential / business receptors before considering if a site is suitable for development. This means that only carefully chosen sites go through to development by our clients, so that there is the least impact on the local community and environment.
Read more in the About Us section.
Please note that the consultation period is now closed. Please use the form below if you would like any further information on this project.