Power storage plans unveiled on green belt land

Sandbrook Capital BES Ltd wants to develop the plant at land off Ashday Lane

Plans to build an electricity storage facility housing 60 battery units and 30 transformers on green belt land at a Calderdale farm have been submitted.

Sandbrook Capital BES Ltd wants to develop the plant at land off Ashday Lane at Southowram, above Halifax.

It has applied to Calderdale Council for permission to build a compound which would house the 11ft (3.5m) batteries, along with a substation, two auxiliary transformers,  a control room and storage unit.

The facility would store electricity taken from the National Grid at times of low demand for use when demand was higher, the developer said.

Plans have been submitted to Calderdale Council

A report to planners said the system would help stabilise the grid and significantly reduce energy losses, helping meet climate challenges.

Because the land is green belt, the company's application acknowledged it had to demonstrate very special circumstances for the development, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Sandbrook Capital said any land encroachment would be limited and outweighed by the public benefits.

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