Battery storage site plans for solar farm

A battery storage site the size of almost nine football pitches could be built on farmland near a Kent hamlet.

Sky UK Development has submitted a planning application for a battery energy storage system (Bess) by Canterbury Road, 0.5km (0.3 miles) from Calcott, near Sturry.

The 227.5 megawatt facility is planned to be "temporary and reversible," with a lifespan of 40 years after which all the facilities will be removed.

Any development which would generate more than 50MW needs permission directly from the government to be built.

Bosses for Sky UK Development argue the 10.6 acre plot is ideal for the project because it is close to "an available and viable point of grid connection" and located in an area with some existing industrial elements.

The project would require a long underground cable to connect to the grid at the Canterbury North substation about 4km south.

Battery storage systems hold power from renewables, including solar and wind, and then release it when needed.

The batteries are usually housed in shipping containers.

David Browne, of Canterbury-based solar firm Convert Energy, said the Bess was needed to "make the best use of" renewable energy projects in the area such as the Woodlands Farm solar development in Sturry Hill.

The project will involve building infrastructure, access tracks, underground cabling, perimeter and access gates as well as fencing with CCTV cameras, Sky UK Development says.

In February 2024, Swale Borough Council rejected safety plans for the Bess at Cleve Hill Solar Park near Faversham over fire concerns.

Their rejection was later ruled unlawful by the government and overturned.

The systems usually use lithium batteries, which cannot be directly extinguished with water, but most systems in the country have run without issue, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.