Banks Group is to publish outline plans for the creation of a green energy hub at the former Thorpe Marsh power station site near Doncaster, south Yorkshire.
The developer is looking to create a flexible energy management hub through the reclamation and restoration of the derelict former power station and use site’s existing 1450MW connection to the National Grid to deploy what it claims is the largest battery energy storage system being planned in the UK.
The hub would be developed to store up to 2.8 gigawatt hours of energy to “ensure reliable and stable” electricity grid operation at times of peak demand and would also support the UK’s continuing drive towards its net zero ambitions.
Banks Group’s plans for the site include integrated biodiversity features including wetlands, woodlands and species-rich grassland on a 65-hectare area of land to the west of the village of Barnby Dun.
A comprehensive public consultation process around Banks’ proposals for Thorpe Marsh power station’s regeneration will be carried out over the coming months in line with the company’s “development with care” approach.
The launch of the plans is set to take place in November at a surgery event at Barnby Dun Parish Hall.
Banks is working through the battery design process and is hoping to have the flexible energy hub up and running by the middle of the decade if planning approval is granted.
A number of planned uses for the Thorpe Marsh site have been put forward over the years since the power station was decommissioned in 1994, but none have ever come to fruition.
Lewis Stokes, senior community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “This is a nationally important project that will put South Yorkshire at the forefront of developments in the increasingly important energy storage industry.
“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 Thorpe Marsh Green Energy Hub would utilise the site’s large grid capacity to facilitate the increased deployment of renewable energy technologies on the National Grid network, so that more of the energy that we all use in our homes, businesses, schools and hospitals can be generated via renewable means.”
The planning applications for the different parts of the project could be submitted to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council in the coming months, with Banks hoping to be able to begin work on site by 2024 if they are approved.