Spennymoor Energy Storage project gets green light

Council’s important decision will enable more renewable energy to power the UK

Renewable energy company RES has been given the go-ahead to build a new energy storage project in County Durham after the Council’s planning committee voted to approve the scheme, in line with the case officer’s recommendation.

Spennymoor Energy Storage System is situated on land to the south of the existing electrical substation on Thinford Lane. The new 99.9MW facility will store electricity at times when generation exceeds demand, and release electricity back to the grid network when demand exceeds generation. It will facilitate the deployment of new wind, solar and other renewables which will be central to achieving the Government’s net zero commitments as well as enabling more energy to be generated domestically, improving security of supply.

Alan McMahon, Head of Energy Storage at RES, said: “We are very pleased that Durham County Council has chosen to back this important infrastructure, which has been carefully sited and designed to optimise the land available for development.

“Energy storage systems like the Spennymoor project are essential for a stable and secure electricity system; the resilience of which is crucial for the UK’s future energy security.”

Spennymoor Energy Storage System has been designed to include planting of new native woodland, species-rich grassland and the creation of a pond, which will provide a plentiful source of food and shelter for a range of fauna species. Invertebrate boxes, hedgehog houses and bat boxes are also proposed with all of these measures leading to a biodiversity net gain of 25%.

RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, active in onshore and offshore wind, solar, green hydrogen, energy storage, transmission and distribution. In its 40-year history, RES has delivered more than 23GW of renewable energy projects across the globe.

For further information about RES, visit www.res-group.com.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About RES

RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company active in onshore and offshore wind, solar, green hydrogen, energy storage and transmission and distribution. At the forefront of the industry for over 40 years, RES has delivered more than 23GW of renewable energy projects across the globe and supports an operational asset portfolio exceeding 10GW worldwide for a large client base. Understanding the unique needs of corporate clients, RES has secured over 1.5GW of corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) enabling access to energy at the lowest cost. RES employs over 2,500 people and is active in 11 countries. For further information about RES, visit www.res-group.com

CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Callum Whiteford

RES Press Office

+44 141 404 5560

+44 7500 937 925

[email protected]