Trafford approves £750m battery storage project
Carlton Power says its infrastructure project will be “the world’s largest” battery energy storage system, supercharging the delivery of renewable energy schemes by providing space to store the power generated for reliable and consistent use.
Carlton’s push for a £750m battery energy storage system at Trafford Low Carbon Energy netted planning permission from the metropolitan borough council on Friday. Carlton’s BESS would be capable of storing up to 1GW of energy created through renewable methods.
BESS are key for mainstreaming renewable power, which is generated intermittently. By storing the power, the energy can be released steadily regardless of whether it is currently sunny or windy.
Carlton is in advanced talks with potential partners on the project. If funding can be secured, construction on the Trafford BESS could begin by in the first quarter of 2024. That would put the BESS as commercially operating by the end of 2025.
This is just one of several projects Carlton has at Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park, the 30-acre former home of the Carrington coal-fired power station. Carlton acquired the site in 2008.
Carlton is also working on constructing a 200MW green hydrogen plant, which is set to be operational by the end of 2025. The Trafford Green Hydrogen scheme was shortlisted for £50m from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Hydrogen Business Model.
Carlton is also working with energy company Highview Power on developing a cyrobattery plant, capable of storing excess energy for long-term use. The project, which was announced in 2020, would be capable of storing power for weeks, rather than hours or days like traditional BESS.
With the approval of BESS, the investment value of Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park is £2bn, according to Carlton chief executive and founder Keith Clarke.
“The investment in the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park over the next two-five years demonstrates Carlton’s long-term vision and commitment to re-energising the Trafford site,” he said.
Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, praised the planning department’s decision.
“The Trafford BESS, alongside the Trafford Green Hydrogen scheme, places Trafford and Greater Manchester at the forefront of the UK’s energy transition,” Ross said.
“The two schemes will help address our climate crisis – one of Trafford Council’s corporate priorities – and will support our region’s plan to reach a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2038.”
Chris McKerrow, head of Carlton’s European BESS development, said he was “delighted” to have planning consent for the project.
“Our BESS scheme will make a significant contribution to the resilience of the North West’s energy system and, combined with our green hydrogen scheme and the cryobattery project, underlines Trafford Park’s importance to the energy transition in the region and the journey towards net zero,” McKerrow said.
Elsewhere in the North West, Carlton has plans for a £40m green hydrogen plant in Barrow-in-Furness. This facility would be capable of delivering enough power to supply 10,000 homes each year.
What an utter waste of 3/4 of a billion pounds- this net zero fantasy is getting out of control for very little gain
By Stuart wood
Net Zero is completely achievable and the sooner we get there the better, Stuart.
It will cost a lot more that 750mill if we don’t.
By Anonymous
Stuart, mate… we all need leccy. Why be against a huge investment that will create jobs and provide an essential service. Moving towards a reliable source we don’t need to import sounds pretty good to me
By Anonymous
Of course we need power – but what we are doing is building expensive and unreliable solar and wind and then to compensate for that we are building very expensive batteries with all the poor use of land and materials only to Correct and try to balance the unreliability you’ve already created – all for a massive cost that could be substantially lower in clean gas turbines or new SMR
By Stuart wood
Waste of money on a monumental scale!
By Manc
I dare say some people on here advocating clean gas turbines would be up in arms if their holiday in Rhodes was interrupted by a wildfire. Do we think that these two things might be connected in some way?
By Anonymous
This will be my third attempt to comment on this article and I hope that the mods will allow me to say something that I think is important. Some commenters have defended the battery plan because it will help provide energy security against imports. It is sad that this is the only way that we can make a case for infrastructure that is part of a move towards carbon reduction and avoid politicised invective.
Reducing carbon is a good in itself. How many heatwaves and wildfires will it take before carbon reduction is established political orthodoxy?
Stuart, think about the people flooded from their homes who have no say in this, or if that doesn’t land, think about your grandchildren, if you plan to have any. Everyone will be poorer if we don’t act.
By Damien
@Stuart
The issue with energy is one of storage capacity.
Gas is a finite substance, wind is infinite. We are one of the windiest places in the world so I think we should utilise nature’s bounty. In fact, we’ve been doing this very well for the last decade – and in the last two years, have now generated more energy this way than from other sources put together.
But we do need to boost storage. Small nuclear reactors, wind, hydrogen and wave power are the routes I believe we should pursue for energy sufficiency and security.
Good news with this battery proposal. Along with last week’s news of the battery factory in Somerset.
By SW
If you want to reduce c02 then build a clear of nuclear reactors such as being developed by rolls Royce – clean. Secure and run 24/7 365 days a year – and not reliant on weather the wind blows or sun shines- this push for every amounts of renewables is just in insane
By Stuart wood
When you say “clean” gas turbines Stuart, you presumably are forgetting about the carbon emissions, yes? This is not a long term solution to achieve net zero which I presume you are in favour of in light of the threat to our planet and way of life.
By Martin Twigg
@Stuart
The issue with wind is storage capacity of the energy, not wind itself. We’re one of the windiest countries on the planet and now generate about half of our energy using renewables.
By SW
Amusing to see how on every article about clean energy the same armchair experts pop up to claim that their O-level in maths somehow qualifies them to contradict the many thousands of professional scientists whose unconnected studies all point to the same conclusion – that we’re damaging our planet’s environment beyond our ability to repair.
By Flixton resident
I agree that small nuclear reactors are part of the solution particularly in the short term whilst we transition but they are not without harmful and expensive impacts not least how you manage the spent fuel. Renewables allied to suitable storage and grid solutions are cheap, reliable and vastly more sustainable.
By Martin Twigg
That’s nothing new to this area.
This will be a mess and so will the canal
Older people remember the stench of batteries
By Anon
Is it on brownfield? If soo we should be pleased that once built, there will not be hundreds of HGVs going to it every day
By Janet Turnbull
Great to see Manchester taking the lead Again
By Jimmyd3
The photo shows the storage site next to a waterway. Now in case of any incident maybe fire, would they not be a chance of contamination to this waterway ?
By Peter J Bromley