The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding Power Station could be set to home a Battery Energy Storage System, claimed to be the largest in the world.
South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee unanimously passed the outline planning application by Spalding Energy Park Ltd last week for the batteries and associated infrastructure.
The unmanned system would have a capacity of up to 550megawatts, would connect to the National Grid at the Spalding North substation and would take energy from the grid during low demand and feed it back at peak times.
Though unmanned, documents submitted with the application say it could create up to six new roles at the existing site.
Coun Roger Gambba-Jones told the deciding meeting that the battery was an “impressive piece of infrastructure, particularly as it appears to be the first in the UK and allegedly the largest proposed in the world.
“I hope it goes ahead as it’s an outline proposal awaiting a company to actually deliver it.
“I hope it’s delivered much sooner rather than later given our energy prices as they build and build.”
Coun Jack Tyrrell said: “It’s the perfect place and it’s great for Spalding to get something like this.”
Planning chairman Coun James Avery added: “It’s industrial in scale but it’s industrial in its operation and location. Anything that helps this nation keep the lights on.”
The facility would store power equivalent to the annual electricity use of 177 homes.
The application would be subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement with a contribution of £187,000 to local infrastructure deemed a suitable amount by planning officers’ report.
