Exagen has been granted planning consent for a 20MW battery project by Tewkesbury Borough Council. This is the company’s second battery energy storage project to be granted planning consent this year.

The battery, to be called Brockworth Road Energy Reserve, will be on land just north of the A417, near the junction with the M5. The 20MW battery storage facility will be housed in modular units, similar in size and appearance to standard shipping containers, which will be painted green.

Against change to ‘Green Belt’ land Councillors weighed a promised 37% biodiversity net gain and the role of batteries in decarbonising the grid. Three previously developed or brownfield alternatives were considered, as were six other green field sites, but all were assessed as unsuitable due to policy constraints, other allocations or planning consents.

Public consultation in June and July 2023 included in-person visits to nearby homes, webinars, meetings with parish and ward councillors and a survey to capture local reaction to the development. From this engagement, Exagen amended the planning application to reduce the overall footprint and change the site orientation to minimise its visual impact.

Exagen said it wants to establish a rolling output of 500MW of UK battery sites securing planning permission and entering construction, year on year.