Essentially, the relaxation of the planning rules means that battery storage projects above 50MW in England, and 350MW in Wales can now go ahead without needing to be approved through the national planning regime. The planning regime previously treated storage. Previously, many developers sought to limit projects to 50MW to avoid the lengthy NSIP process, which also impacts on generation projects that. For developers, investors and landowners, this is great news, and we would encourage them to speak to their planning consultants and other professional advisors to understand more about how the changes can benefit them. It means that most electricity storage projects, with the exception of pumped hydro schemes, can be determined through the Town and Country Planning Act, by local planning authorities. In effect this means that planning applicationsfor projects over 50MW. PWA Planning has a dedicated energy planningteam that can provide a wide range of services to providers looking to progress planning applications.
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How long does it take to plan an electricity storage project?
It means that most electricity storage projects, with the exception of pumped hydro schemes, can be determined through the Town and Country Planning Act, by local planning authorities. In effect this means that planning applications for projects over 50MW should, theoretically, be decided in between eight and 13 weeks depending on their size.
What are the changes to planning legislation for energy storage projects?
The changes to planning legislation for larger energy storage projects were first announced back in October 2019 to allow planning applications to be determined without going through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) process.
Are electricity storage facilities subject to planning permission?
Instead electricity storage facilities are subject to planning permission from the LPA. CBP 7459 SI 2020 No. 1218 A debate has been scheduled for 4.30pm on Wednesday 8 June 2022 on planning for solar farms and battery storage solutions.
Should energy storage schemes get planning permission?
The change in the law should make it much easier for energy storage schemes to get planning permission, to attract funding more easily, and enable them to be built more quickly. The recent UK Battery Storage Project Database Report by suggested the UK has more than 13.5GW of battery storage projects in the pipeline.
Do you need planning permission for pumped hydro storage?
ll now be subject to planning permission from the LPA:2.1 The instrument removes electricity storage, except pumped hydro storage, from the need to seek planning consent in accordance with the national planning regime (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) re
Can energy companies bypass the national planning process?
Energy companies and battery storage developers in the UK can now bypass the national planning process when developing large scale energy storage projects, thanks to a recent change in the law.