Voltis has submitted a screening request to find out whether an Environmental Impact Assessment will be needed for developing a 500MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Buckinghamshire.
The company is currently running an online public consultation on the proposals, and this will continue until Monday 6 January.
The BESS site is being earmarked for land at Mop End Lane, Amersham. It would be capable of storing up to 500MW of energy generated across the UK’s energy network by renewables, such as solar and wind farms, when demand is low.
The batteries would then discharge this stored energy to balance the network when demand is high.
Voltis says all feedback received during the consultation period will help to inform the planning application it submits to Buckinghamshire Council.
A spokesman said: “We are very conscious that the site is located within the Green Belt and the Chilterns National Landscape.
“This means we will need to demonstrate Very Special Circumstances to justify why a BESS is justified in this location.”
The site has been chosen as it is “naturally very well-screened and a good distance away from settlements”, Voltis says.
The BESS containers will be three metres high and the sub-station will peak at seven metres in some places.
The company said only around 34% of the site will contain batteries and infrastructure, while the remainder will be kept for access, cables, drainage ponds, wildflowers and an orchard.
Voltis will also be submitting a Construction Transport Management Plan which will need to be approved by the council before any works can begin.
This will set details such as delivery and working hours, construction traffic routes and any other mitigation measures – such as wheel washing to avoid mud on the roads.
The company said any planning permission for the BESS would be temporary, and the facility would be decommissioned at the end of its life, with all hardware removed.
The area would then be returned to its original condition, Voltis said.
If it goes ahead, the scheme will help deliver green energy for around 270,000 homes, supporting Buckinghamshire’s move towards net zero.
