Sandwell giant battery park 'can power small town'

The 76 battery packs are enough to power a small town

An electricity storage facility, whose owner says it could power a small town, has gone live in the West Midlands.

A total of 76 giant batteries store power that can be released to the National Grid when energy demand exceeds supply.

Owner EDF says it's a key part of plans to increase green power and cut Britain's reliance on coal and gas.

The site, near the junction of the M6 and M5, is part of a growing network across the country.

While traditional fossil fuel generation can be ramped up or scaled down at short notice, renewable electricity needs to be stored while the sun is shining or wind is blowing.

The site is next to an existing National Grid substation

EDF says that, as well as helping address grid demand, it will also be able to supply high-powered electric vehicle charging points in the area around the site.

Although the site officially lies in green belt land, Sandwell Council approved the development in 2020 with no objections from neighbours.

A report to councillors said the benefits of renewable energy on a site bounded by a motorway and existing substation, would outweigh any downsides.

Similar projects in other parts of the country have proved controversial, including through potential fire risks, after a blaze at one plant in Liverpool that burned for several days in 2020 and was declared a "significant incident" by Merseyside fire bosses.

EDF's plans for the Sandwell site stated that the chance of fire was "very unrealistic".

'Matching supply and demand'

Its director of solar storage Matthew Boulton, says the parks are a key part of the country's move away from coal and gas-fired power stations.

"Most of them will come off-line by 2030. We'll be relying on renewables, and we have to find a way of matching supply and demand," he told BBC Midlands Today.

The International Energy Agency says the use of battery storage will have to grow sharply to meet net-zero targets - with one scenario requiring a 35-fold increase worldwide by 2030.

EDF's Matthew Boulton says batteries help fill the gap between supply and demand for green energy

The Sandwell site, officially opened last week by West Midlands mayor Andy Street, is connected to the national grid via the neighbouring Bustleholme substation.

Mr Street said the region was "leading the green industrial revolution", and the project was key to delivering clean power to homes.

EDF Renewables says the site could keep 100,000 homes powered for two hours during lulls in production. The UK network continues to grow, with one in Coventry due to go live in December.

The company says it will eventually supply two gigawatts of the 30 the National Grid predicts will be required from such plants by 2050.