Doncaster: Public consultation over UK's biggest battery farm




BBC
Mon, October 17, 2022 

A huge battery storage centre is planned for the site of a former power station in South Yorkshire.

The company behind the Thorpe Marsh scheme near Doncaster said it would store 2.8GW of electricity to be used at times of peak power demand.

Developers the Banks Group said it would be one of the largest energy storage facilities in the world and the UK's biggest.

A public consultation is about to be launched in the local area.

The proposal would see up to 2.25 million tonnes of ash from the demolished former coal-fired power station excavated and used to make concrete blocks for the building trade.

After the ash is cleared the site would be levelled and more than 50 batteries in shipping containers installed with a new electricity substation.

A number of proposals for the Thorpe Marsh site have been put forward over the years since the power station shut in 1994, including building gas turbines.

Lewis Stokes, senior community relations manager at The Banks Group said the site's existing connection to the National Grid and its closeness to wind farms of the Yorkshire coast made it "an excellent location for this project."

"This is a nationally important project that will put South Yorkshire at the forefront of developments in the increasingly important energy storage industry," he said.

"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 company said that it would restore the site's rail link to avoid using lorries to remove the ash waste and bring in equipment and would plant a woodland on part of the site.

A planning application could be submitted to Doncaster Council in the coming months. If approved, Banks said they hoped to start work by 2024.

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