Plans approved for battery energy storage system on green belt land in Cramlington

Bluefield Renewables had requested permission to build the site on land south of Laverock Hall Roundabout at Cramlington, having already received permission to build a solar farm at nearby Low Horton. The battery storage system (BESS) will store the energy produced by the solar farm at peak times.

Bluefield is a UK-based company which develops, builds and operates solar and battery projects.

Speaking at a meeting of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee, managing director Jonathan Selwyn explained: “Battery storage is complementary to renewable technology and help achieve climate change targets, and support the UK’s urgent need for energy security. In particular, they help to balance generation against demand, stabilise the grid and reduce the likelihood of blackouts.”

Planning officers explained that because the development was in the greenbelt, “very special circumstances” had to be demonstrated in order to grant permission. However, planners considered that the benefits of the scheme outweighed the harm done by the development, which was mitigated by the small scale of the project as well as existing screening from trees.

Cllr Richard Dodd said: “You can’t really have solar without battery capacity, otherwise what is the point? You don’t put the lights on during the day, you do in the dark.

“I have solar panels and batteries and they work tremendously. The way I see it is we’re going to have to do this more and more.

“The more these renewables keep coming in, one thing will attract another application of a battery storage. The main forms of renewable are from the sun, the wind and the water – only one of them runs all the time, the rest rely on weather.

“It doesn’t always work out so we have to capture it when it’s there. Unless we can capture the energy to use at night, we’re wasting our time.”

Cllr Jeff Reid added: “If we have to have this, which we do, I can’t think of a better place. I’m really pleased we’re moving on.

“We have got the space, we have got the technology, let’s get on with it.”