Renewable energy firm Innova is celebrating Cumberland Council’s grant of planning permission for its two-hour grid-scale storage battery, to be located at Blackdyke, near Carlisle.
Cheltenham-based Innova’s plan for a 400MW/800MWh-rated battery in Cumbria is the first large-scale transmission among its pipeline of 60 connected energy storage projects to receive full planning permission.
Promised for the venture is £20,000 in payments every year to community programmes and projects in the storage unit’s vicinity, plus a further £8,000 every year for local charities. Biodiversity gains ranging from over 120% for wildlife habitats close to the device and 42% for river environments are among Innova’s pledges.
Ryan Adams, managing director of Innova’s renewables developments division, hailed last week’s decision as a “landmark moment“.
“Blackdyke is the largest project we’ve delivered to date and also one of the largest batteries ever to be developed globally.
“It’s the first in a total of 26 transmission connections Innova are developing”, Adams went on. “Subject to planning, these bring a further 23GW of energy projects to the UK in the next decade”.
Planning consultants Lichfields advised Innova.
The green power developers’ integrated approach lends, they say, a capability across the life cycle of any project. This embraces planning, grid connections, project rights development, financing, construction and asset management, power purchase agreements, and long-term operations.
