Giant battery storage facility approved

Altogether, the batteries will be capable of holding about 400MW of power

A battery storage facility, thought to be the second-biggest of its kind in the world, has been approved by planners.

Proposals for the site at East Chickerell Court Farm near Weymouth, Dorset, include 600 battery units containing 2.5 million lithium ion cells.

The units will charge up when there is surplus energy or low demand, and feed electricity back into the National Grid in times of need.

Energy company Statera said it chose the site because it was near an electric sub-station.

Statera already has 13 battery storage sites in operation across the UK

Dorset councillors voted 6-2 in favour of the scheme on Monday.

Fears were previously sparked locally about the risk of fire and a toxic plume that could spread from the farmland site at Chickerell over the area, including neighbouring Weymouth, in the event of a disaster.

But neither Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service nor the Environment Agency objected to the plans.

Proposals included four large water containers to help in the event of any fires.

However, each of the units would be self-contained, with their own independent monitoring and fire-suppression measures, Statera said.

The company would also be able to shut them down remotely.

The nearest buildings are 400m (1,312ft) away from the site - although there are proposals for 400 extra homes in the area

Chickerell ward councillor Gill Taylor said people did not want it close to their homes.

"They are worried about safety issues, they are not convinced about the environmental benefits and they have taken a strong view against the planning application,” she said.

Stretching from Coldharbour to the golf driving range next to Weymouth Football Club, 100,000 people are estimated to be living nearby in the summer months.

That number falls to about 53,000 for the rest of the year.

In a planning document, a Statera spokesperson said: “There is no question that these developments are in the national – and global – interest."