UK storage developer Balance Power has won an appeal on a 50MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project in the Midlands.
The project, Wolverhampton West, on the edge of south Staffordshire, was approved on appeal after an inspector found that the environmental benefits provided special circumstances for being located in the Green Belt, and directly align with national efforts to decarbonise the UK’s energy system.
The appeal win “demonstrates the company’s diligence” when selecting sites and maintains Balance Power’s track record on planning applications, with a planning success rate of 94%.
Balance Power has now taken 27 energy projects through to planning consent, delivering 312MW of capacity.
In the year to date, 144MW has been consented and sold, and a further 750MW of projects with secured grid connections is under development nationwide.
The Wolves West appeal is one of three planning appeals that Balance Power has won in recent weeks, with two gas peaking projects also granted in Sudbury and Goring, delivering an additional 14MW of capacity.
Dan Levy, of Balance Power, said: ‘We are very pleased to have secured all three planning appeals.
“Battery storage technology is among the most effective tools to expand the integration of renewables onto the grid; helping to stabilise energy reliability and in turn, reducing the cost of electricity for consumers.”