Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Root-Power has announced that it has been granted planning permission for a 40MW/80MWh BESS in Rotherham.
The project, to be located near Brinsworth, Rotherham, began early development in August 2024, as part of Root-Power’s bumper crop of 40 BESS planning applications at the time. The project will be located on a strip of land next to the M1 motorway, and while it was previously registered as “green space” the site was privately owned, not accessible to the public and was too small for any agricultural use; as such, the application was unanimously approved by the Planning Committee.
The location next to the motorway also provides a significant amount of noise screening from the development. The development is also expected to bring a biodiversity net gain of around 32.76% when compared to the current baseline of the site.
A date for construction to begin has not yet been revealed, however, Root-Power has stated that it expects the asset to be energised in mid-2028.
Neil Brooks, managing director at Root-Power, said: “We’re thrilled to announce we’ve secured planning permission for yet another new site, this time our 40MW site in Brinsworth, Rotherham.
“Special mention should go to our origination team who have carefully selected a near perfect location for this BESS project. Managing competing constraints is always difficult when planning a project, so finding a suitable location only one mile from the point of connection in an urban area, without causing unacceptable noise or visual impact on sensitive receptors is a real achievement. We are happy to see that the planning committee unanimously supported our application, which is a real vote of confidence in our process and team.”
This is the fourth planning approval Root-Power has been granted so far in 2025. Earlier this month, the firm received planning permission for a 34MW/68MWh BESS in the Scottish Highlands, located in Dounreay on Scotland’s north coast, which has a grid connection date of 2026. In January, the firm had also been granted permission for a 40MW/80MWh BESS in Selby, North Yorkshire, and recently received consent for a project in County Durham.
This marks a strong start to 2025 after a very successful 2024 for the company, which concluded with the granting of planning approval for a major new project in Glasgow city centre. The Broomlan Road BESS, a 50MW/100MWh BESS, is now in pre-construction, and will be located close to Ibrox Stadium in the city centre.
