Plans for 'battery energy storage' facility to hold power from renewable sources in Sunderland

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for land near Foxcover Road in the city’s Shiney Row ward.

The land is open green space and sits near the roundabout connecting the A183 and the A19.

New plans from Newton Energi aim to set up a “30MW battery energy storage system” at the site with associated equipment and a “site boundary treatment”.

A design and access statement submitted to council officials provides more details on the development and its purpose.

This includes helping the National Grid to “access extra power sources, balance the national system and provide backup electricity supply” at times of high demand.

Applicants said that with the increase in solar and wind energy sources and the “intermittent nature of these forms of power generation”, the proposed development would “provide backup generation to smooth out and stabilise power supply”.

The design and access statement adds: “It will also provide a capability to store energy temporarily when there is a surplus of renewable generation, thereby enabling the National Grid to avoid instructing the wind/solar generators to stop generating (and making interruption payments as a result, which are borne ultimately by customers).

“Overall, battery storage facilities will ensure that the electricity system is more efficient and reduced costs to customers”.

The Sunderland location was chosen because of its close proximity to “substantial National Grid infrastructure already in place”.

If approved, the facility would be managed 24/7 and would have an operational lifespan of 35 years, before the land is “reinstated to its former use”.

Proposed site plans show switch/ control rooms, storage and other equipment, as well as a large area containing a number of ‘battery containers’.

It was also noted that the “power produced will be utilised locally first”, meaning that “communities and businesses in the immediate local area will have their energy security enhanced by the proposal”.

The design and access statement adds: “Not only will the proposed development provide backup energy for the intermittent renewable energy sources, it will also increase the resilience of supply, as a facility can provide back up in case of power outage in the local area for approximately 135,000 homes.

“Therefore, the proposed development will increase the energy security of the surrounding area”.

Those behind the scheme added there was a national requirement for “more developments that generate energy through methods that produce low levels of carbon emission”.

Applicants said the investment into the Sunderland project “shows the commitment to increase storage capacity of green energy produced by off/on shore wind projects and Solar PV projects across the UK”.

The application follows recent plans for a “battery energy storage scheme” south of the A184 in the Boldon Colliery ward, close to the Sunderland border.

Plans from Whirlwind Energy Storage Ltd included up to 360 energy storage cabinets, associated power converter units and a “grid connection compound”.

A decision on the new Sunderland planning application will be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Information on Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website lists a decision deadline of December 18, 2023.

For more information on the planning application or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/01981/FUL