The Cheshire village of Capenhurst will become home to the world’s first battery capable of absorbing reactive power directly from the grid with planning permission secured by Axis.
Our partner Zenobē, the UK’s leading owner and operator of battery storage, is set to embark on a groundbreaking project to build the largest battery in Europe, which will connect on a transmission network at 275,000 volts.
The project is the first of its kind in England to receive planning permission under the revised planning regime allowing battery projects over 50mw to be approved locally.
A low-cost, sustainable power supply
Zenobē’s site will address power supply issues in the Mersey region, delivering clean, secure energy at a substantially lower cost to consumers.
Over the next 15 years, the project is forecast to remove 1,000,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere – equivalent to planting 20,000 acres of mature forest (1,000,000 trees) or taking 216,044 diesel and petrol cars off the road.
The battery, which is due to be operational in April 2022, is hoped to accelerate national uptake of renewable energy and contribute to the UK’s goal of becoming net zero by 2050.
Solving problems through innovation
The Capenhurst project was commissioned in direct response to the National Grid’s pathfinder programme, which seeks to solve the challenge of reactive energy management through innovative technology.
Energy storage has been identified by the government as one of the UK’s Eight Great Technologies and battery storage will play a major role in moving the UK from carbon-intensive to emission-free power.
James Basden, Co-Founder and Director at Zenobē Energy, commented: “As we move to a cleaner energy system, batteries like this one will play a vital role in stabilising the grid and ultimately enabling a greener, more sustainable Britain.
“The Capenhurst project is a great example of the pioneering solutions businesses like ours can bring to the table when industry innovation is encouraged by up-to-date legislation.”
Phillip Roden, Director at Axis, added: “It’s fantastic this pioneering work has come to fruition and the North West is yet again leading the way to a more sustainable future. This is a huge milestone – not just for Axis, but for the UK and its ambitions in the race to net zero.”
Partners in sustainability
Zenobē’s project will both optimise the absorption of reactive power while operating the active power services with minimal disruption to the local community thanks to the site’s special design. As part of the development, several habitat enhancement areas will also be built.
Partners in sustainability
Zenobē’s project will both optimise the absorption of reactive power while operating the active power services with minimal disruption to the local community thanks to the site’s special design. As part of the development, several habitat enhancement areas will also be built.
Philip continued: “We supplied a range of services to Zenobē, including facilitating the planning application, ensuring the design mitigates environmental effects, coordinating specialist environmental studies and liaising with Cheshire West and Cheshire Council during determination.”
James added: “We will look to replicate this solution nationwide, working with government and industry to stabilise the UK energy system, push energy prices down and ensure an emission-free future.”
