Energy storage plant could power 124k homes

The area is currently farmland with a barn used for storage

An energy storage plant the size of seven-and-a-half football pitches could be built on green belt land in Kent.

Energy firm EcoDev’s planning application for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility is being considered by Dartford Borough Council (DBC).

The storage system would be built off Foxhounds Lane in Southfleet, near Gravesend, and store enough energy to power more than 124,000 homes, planning documents say.

EcoDev said the facility, covering about 10 acres, would help to “secure and protect energy supplies for the future”.

The plans include room for 140 battery units and inverters, 70 transformers, a new access road, a storage facility and a substation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

EcoDev said the site would be unmanned and would be operated remotely with only rare maintenance visits, expected to be “less than twice per month”.

EcoDev says the development is an essential component in achieving net zero

“Online monitoring of performance and identification of issues will be provided on a 24-hour basis,” the company added.

“Given the compound is unmanned there is no requirement for permanent lighting; the only lighting will be Infra-Red invisible for night vision for the security cameras.”

Native species of plants, trees and hedgerows would be planted to improve biodiversity, planning documents said.

Such developments are “an essential component to obtaining net zero and furthering energy security,” the applicant writes.

The facility would have a storage capacity of 300 megawatts (MW). Elsewhere in Kent, Swale Borough Council voted in February to reject a safety plan for a BESS of 150 MW.

DBC’s jurisdiction is 53% metropolitan green belt – where stricter planning rules apply – due to its proximity to the London Borough of Bexley.