Statera Energy secures permission for 400 MW / 2,400 MWh BESS in Dorset, UK

Statera Energy announced the company had secured planning permission for a 400 MW / 2,400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) near Chickerell in Dorset, UK.

The project is Statera's largest approved BESS project till date, the company said. Once energized, the BESS, which will offer six hours of power backup, will operate alongside other long-duration energy storage projects to help the UK decarbonize its electricity grid by 2030.

Statera said the BESS site is situated close to an existing National Grid substation, which will help the project deliver instantaneous power to the UK grid.

The company said it had worked with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure the BESS would follow all necessary safety standards. Statera said it had also added several additional measures to the proposed facility's design to increase safety, including cooling systems to ensure the batteries remained within a safe temperature zone, and automatic fire suppression systems that trigger in case of breakout.

In addition, the company said 21 hectares of the 30-hectare BESS site will be turned into community parkland.

Statera has proposed similar models elsewhere too. In May, the company submitted a planning application to the South Oxfordshire District Council for a BESS at Culham Campus.

The proposals require development of seven hectares of the ~27-hectare site for battery capacity, with the remaining 16 hectares being set aside to re-establish a registered park and garden with new woodland and grassland habitats.