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BEIS have today published proposals that will simplify
the installation of larger scale energy storage
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Energy storage projects will now apply through local
planning processes at all sizes
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The REA campaigned for a change in threshold and
welcome the news as Government recognition of the value of a
flexible system
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial
Strategy (BEIS) has this morning published proposals for
energy storage technologies to be processed via the local
planning process at all sizes, rather than proceeding via the
National Planning Regime when above a certain size, as is the
case with power projects at present. The National planning
process has significant costs associated with it and can take
18-24 months, while the projects involved are typically
relatively unobtrusive and established technologies.
The REA has campaigned to raise the threshold above the current
50MW level and are surprised and pleased by the proposals,
although the details will need to be assessed via the
consultation process and appropriate planning conditions
applied.
The proposals apply for all energy storage technologies excluding
Pumped Hydro Energy Storage projects, due to their significant
size.
The consultation comes days after the REA and ElectraLink
released, for the first time publicly, the extent of energy
storage exports onto the distribution networks in GB showing a
large increase.
Commenting on the proposals, Frank Gordon, Head of Policy
at the REA said:
“In this consultation the Government are recognising the
value that energy storage can bring to the electricity system and
are making a major step towards a more flexible network in the
future. We and the industry argued for an increase in the
threshold for projects entering the national planning regime and
these proposals go even a step farther, which is welcome.
“At present most energy storage project planning applications
are sized at or around 49.9MW in England where the 50MW threshold
is in place, but in Wales where the threshold is much higher,
they vary in size usually at around 70MW. This shows
the major impact the planning system threshold is having on
projects.
“This proposal should significantly reduce the relevant
pre-construction costs for larger energy storage projects,
unlocking more flexibility in the system and leading to less
hardware upgrades and back up capacity for the networks. A more
flexible system with greater storage deployment will save
consumers money – as much as £8 billion in the coming decades
according to independent studies.”
—ENDS—
Notes to editors
