Exagen, a UK renewable energy developer, has secured consent for a 20MW battery storage system in Tewkesbury, in south-west England.
Consent for the Brockworth Road Energy Reserve was awarded by Tewkesbury Borough Council.
This marks the company’s second battery energy storage project to be granted planning consent this year.
Brockworth Road Energy Reserve will be located on land just north of the A417, near the junction with the M5, in a field that is well screened from the surrounding area by existing trees and hedgerows.
The 20MW battery storage facility will be housed in modular units, similar in size and appearance to standard shipping containers, which will be painted green to further minimise visual impact.
Councillors appreciated how the developer has promised a 37% biodiversity net gain in the land around the battery and the important role for batteries in decarbonising the grid, when weighing against limited change to the Green Belt.
Public consultation in June and July 2023 included in-person visits to nearby homes, webinars, meetings with parish and ward councillors and a survey to capture local reaction to the development.
From this engagement, Exagen amended the planning application to reduce the overall footprint and change the site orientation to minimise its visual impact.
Brockworth Road Energy Reserve demonstrates Exagen’s commitment to the UK’s target of 100% renewable electricity generation by 2035 through building, owning, and operating renewable energy generation and storage projects.
The company aims to establish a rolling output of 500MW of UK sites securing planning permission and entering construction, year on year.
Exagen continues to expand its pipeline of projects in development, supported by funding from the Octopus Energy Development Partnership, part of Octopus Energy Generation, which has a minority stake in Exagen Group.
Ben Fawcett, Commerical and Development Director of Exagen Group, said: ‘’Planning consent for the Brockworth Road Energy Reserve is a huge achievement for the team at Exagen.
“A planning consent for this project is a testament to both Tewkesbury Borough Council’s and the local community’s commitment to meeting the UK’s net zero goal.”