Battery energy storage systems (BESS) developer NatPower UK has launched the first consultation for a proposed 1GW BESS in Yorkshire.
The Mowbray Energy Storage project proposes to install a 1GW BESS and transmission-connected substation on 93 hectares of land north of the village of East Rounton, North Yorkshire. Lithium-ion batteries will be used for the project, and early design plans suggest these will be spread across two buildings on the site, surrounded by environmental improvements.
To increase the biodiversity of the local area, the developers plan to plant native hedgerows and woodlands around the site, as well as create a species-rich wet grassland area to the rear of the development and install bird and bat boxes where necessary. . Of the proposed 93 hectare site, approximately 56 hectares will be used for BESS and transmission infrastructure, while the remainder will be dedicated to improving biodiversity.
If the project is approved, NatPower says it will commit to supporting local communities through a Community Energy Transition Fund, which the company claims could provide the local community with more than £500,000 every year to support emissions reduction, green skills and sustainable agricultural initiatives in the region. local community.
NatPower said it has accepted a 1GW grid connection offer from National Grid and, subject to project approval, expects to connect the Mowbray BESS to the grid in 2028.
Early public consultations have now been opened for the project before planning proposals are submitted to North Yorkshire Council, which NatPower says it aims to do before the end of this year. Local residents are invited to submit their feedback, support or concerns online until December 16, 2024. If the project is approved, NatPower says it expects construction to begin in late 2026 and end in June 2028, before commercial operation in December 2028 will start.
This is not the first gigawatt-scale project NatPower has been involved in this year. At the end of May, the company announced a partnership with Teesworks, Britain’s largest industrial zone, unveiling plans for a 1GW BESS on 50 hectares of the 4,500 hectare Teesworks site.
In March this year, NatPower announced it would invest £10 billion in the UK’s BESS and solar sector in a bid to bring more than 60GWh of BESS online by 2040, with £600 million going towards substation development alone are assigned.
