Energy Storage: Making the planning process simpler

Industry has responded positively to planning rules for the emerging energy storage sector but, as Joanne Plant reports, moves are afoot to make grid-scale projects more straightforward.

Energy storage is set to play an increasingly important role in enabling grid networks to balance fluctuations in the supply and demand of electricity and to stabilise power frequency, as noted in Energy Matters issue 15.

Last September saw the opening of Scotland’s first utility-scale battery storage scheme – a 20MW facility in Broxburn, West lothian – in a move that industry hopes will pave the way for an energy storage boom. The facility is said to be the fastest of its kind in the country and is able to respond to the grid in milliseconds.

Co-locating battery storage with on-site generation – from renewable sources – is also becoming increasingly popular with businesses. With the cost of batteries falling all the time, many firms are seeking to invest in the technology to reduce their carbon footprint and their reliance on the grid while saving on energy bills.

For storage projects with a generating capacity up to and including 50MW in Scotland, planning permission is sought from the relevant local planning authority. For schemes with a generating capacity of more than 50MW, planning consent is sought from the Scottish Ministers under the Electricity Act 1989.

In England, a different consenting regime is in place. In this respect, large-scale energy storage projects with a capacity of 50MW or more are currently determined under the centralised Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, while smaller schemes are determined by local planning authorities. The NSIP process comprises six key stages of assessment and typically takes 15 months to reach a decision.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) recently published ‘consultation on Proposals Regarding the Planning System for Electricity Storage’, proposing that a new capacity threshold for co-located nonwind generation and storage projects be established.

In cases where the capacity of the nonwind generation and storage elements of a project are less than 50MW individually, but over 50MW in combination, the proposals would be determined by the relevant local planning authority.

If either the storage or the non-wind generation element exceeds 50MW individually, then the proposals would still be determined under the NSIP regime. Similarly, the NSIP threshold for standalone energy storage projects remains at 50MW.

The response from industry has been generally positive, as the proposed change should make the process of securing planning permission for colocated grid-scale storage more straightforward and efficient.

The Renewable Energy Association however, considers that more can still be done to facilitate storage deployment by expanding permitted development rights.

The current consultation only applies to projects in England. However, given the wealth of generation that could benefit from co-location with storage in Scotland and the benefits to constrained grid networks, it is possible that the Scottish Government may in future seek to amend the thresholds north of the Border too.