Axis is delighted to have secured planning permission on behalf of EDF Energy (Gas Storage) Limited for the UKs first innovative Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) demonstration facility within a brine cavity at the Warmingham Brinefield and Gas Storage Site, Cheshire.
Planning permission has been granted by Cheshire East Council, inside the statutory determination period, following close engagement between Axis staff and the Council Officers and advisors throughout the pre-application and determination period of the application. Axis was responsible for all elements of the planning process including the preparation of a Planning, Design and Access Statement, and the drafting and management of all environmental assessment work to support the application.
The project has been developed following an award from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) under Phase 1 of the Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration competition, part of the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
As part of this funding, and following preliminary planning and environmental due diligence undertaken by Axis, EDF thermal generation alongside EDF UK R&D, io consulting and Hydrostor Inc. secured £1 million from BEIS to develop storage of electricity as compressed air, utilising Hydrostor’s Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage technology. It uses a mothballed EDF UK gas cavity within the Hole House Gas Storage Site, and proposes the installation of a series of new plant and infrastructure which will operate alongside the existing EDF Gas Processing Plant.
Axis has worked with EDF for over fifteen years to secure an array of planning permissions at the site which together operate as part of the UKs strategic gas storage reserve, an increasingly important facility during the current climate change emergency and energy crisis.
David Adams, Director at Axis said: “We’re delighted to have, once again, worked successfully with EDF to secure planning permission in a timely manner for such a revolutionary and critically important project. The intermittent nature of renewables like solar and wind power means that energy can be produced when it is not needed, like during extended periods of high wind. However, the proposed EDF CAES Facility will allow this energy to be stored for longer, helping manage electricity generation variations and increasing resilience, while also maximising value for money.
This project will be vital in the UKs transition towards cheap, clean and secure renewable energy.
The green energy transition will involve ensuring the UK’s electricity infrastructure can cope with greater shares of renewables, while meeting power demands securely. This facility represents a vital step in achieving these goals.”
