Plans for a £62m job-creating battery storage facility at the Teesworks site on Teesside have been submitted.
Earlier this summer Teesworks Ltd struck a deal with battery storage specialist Energy Optimisation Solutions (EOS) to create a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a three-acre plot of land at the Long Acres section of the 2,500 acre Teesworks site. If approved, the multimillion-pound facility will enable up to 100 megawatts (MW) of additional green energy to be plugged into the grid, while supporting more than 100 jobs.
The proposals have been submitted to & Cleveland Council, detailing how the EOS facility will help cut carbon emissions by 4,000 metric tons each year. Battery storage technology is seen as essential to speeding up the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy, enabling energy from renewable sources including solar and wind, to be stored and released when needed most.
The plans follow a number of renewable energy projects set to come to the Teesworks site, including plans for blue and green hydrogen production plants and the Net Zero Teesside carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project.
Peter Walker, director at EOS, said: “We’re really looking forward to coming to Teesworks and are hopeful that our plans meet with approval. With so much renewable energy development planned for the site, such a supportive environment and such an experienced team in charge, it makes for the ideal location for our next battery storage facility.
“If we as a country are going to hit our Net Zero ambitions then energy storage is absolutely essential. You can store water in reservoirs and gas in gasometers and in LPG form so you can use those resources when you need them. Battery storage systems mean that you can do the same thing with electricity generated from renewable sources.”
If planning permission is granted, construction is estimated to take a year. EOS has a number of battery storage projects already under way in the Ƶ, including a 230MW facility at Newport in South Wales.
Teesworks Limited chairman Chris Musgrave said: “Battery energy storage is another key piece in the clean energy mix at Teesworks, helping to ensure that energy needs can be met from renewable sources regardless of conditions. We look forward to working with the team at EOS on this project if the proposals are approved.”
