Balance Power adds more capacity to UK’s battery storage pipeline

Energy developer Balance Power has announced the approval of its latest 49.5MW battery storage project in St Austell, Cornwall, UK. The project is anticipated to abate approximately 258,000tCO₂ over its lifetime, equating to over one-billion car miles or removing 2,500 cars off the road.

The battery storage facility will be energised in 2028 and is the latest of several battery developments announced by Balance Power, following the successful appeals of projects in Wolverhampton West, Sudbury, and Goring.

The project was granted development approval by Cornwall County Council, following community engagement, parish council meetings and a pre-application.

The region is already extensively supported by renewable technologies in the form of wind and solar PV. And battery storage will play a critical role in balancing intermittent generation whilst ensuring grid stability and flexibility as the UK transitions towards net zero.

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Phil Thompson, CEO at Balance Power, said on the project: “We are proud to be growing our pipeline of projects that will have a direct, positive impact on the UK’s transition to net zero and achieving energy security. The issue over the UK’s energy security must be addressed through increased investment and development of renewables and power storage projects, in addition to the grid’s infrastructure.

“I want to praise Cornwall County Council, which since the beginning, has been extremely supportive of the project and understands the positive impact it will have in the long term. We look forward to seeing the project become fully operational in the coming years.”

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Specialising in a mix of renewable technologies including solar PV and battery storage, Balance Power has secured planning consents on more than 396MW of generating capacity, 164MW in 2022 alone, with a further 1.2GW of generating capacity under development. And this is the latest in battery storage announcements from the UK developer.

In October this year, Balance Power announced its partnership with TagEnergy to build, own and operate 500MW of the Balance Power pipeline.

The partnership is hoped to drive the UK forward on its journey to establish a clean, secure energy system and will require an investment of over £300m ($365m) to build the projects over the next four years.