Battery energy storage system (BESS) and solar PV developer Renewable Connections has been granted planning permission for a 52MW BESS development in Oxfordshire.
The Yarnton BESS will be situated on 1.5 hectares of land located to the east of Yarnton, Oxfordshire, having been awarded planning consent by members of Cherwell District Council Planning Committee in March of this year; the council issued its decision notice on 13 June after ecological studies were fully completed. The project will make use of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, and the site has been approved for an operational period of 40 years after which time the site will be returned to its original state.
Now that planning permission has been granted, Renewable Connections states that construction of the project will likely begin in the summer of next year, although the developer has not provided an estimate for when it expects construction to be completed of when the BESS will be connected to the local grid.
Michael Hughes, CEO at Renewable Connections said that the firm welcomes the decision by Cherwell District Council to approve Yarnton BESS development, adding: “This project will help to tackle the climate emergency in Oxfordshire by using smart technology to identify when to store or release energy to the grid and meet peak demand, helping to support a more stable and reliable energy network, and supporting the UK towards a net zero future.”
This is the 27th project that Renewable Connections has secured planning consent for, in both solar PV and battery storage, since 2021. Most recently, earlier this month, the developer was granted planning permission for the Carr House Solar Farm and BESS, for which it submitted an application in early 2024. The Carr House development will be located in East Heslerton, Yorkshire, and will consist of a 23.5MW solar PV plant co-located with a 19MW BESS.
Earlier this year, the company crossed a significant milestone in its expansion across the UK, when the approval for a 90MW BESS in Somerset, south west England, brought the company’s consented renewables pipeline in the UK over the 1GW mark.
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