Exagen has submitted a planning application for a 500MW/1GWh battery on land to the northeast of Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, to Blaby District Council.
The £350 million battery site, which is around ten times larger than most battery projects currently providing storage for the grid, will connect directly to the transmission network and has a 2 hour supply duration. Exagen says it will use around 45% of the 19 acres of land at the Normanton site to improve biodiversity. This will include extending Normanton Millennium Wood with construction of a new permissive path open to the public, as well as the option of wildflower meadows, providing land for beekeeping and new hedgerows and tree planting. Most of the battery construction will be in 2027 so the project can be energised and connected to the grid as planned in 2028. Earthworks and landscaping would begin before this, to allow time for the planting to establish and begin to mature before the main development is constructed.
Exagen has also promised a dedicated community fund to spend on improvements in the local area, such as sponsoring education courses for the skills the UK will need to develop renewable projects in the future. The company will consult with local communities on how to use the fund.
Mark Rowcroft, Development Director at Exagen said: “Over the next few months, we’ll be announcing a variety of opportunities for individuals and businesses to get involved. We look forward to hearing from those in Thurlaston, Earl Shilton and the surrounding area about how we can make this site best work for them long-term”.