The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has stated that it will bring forward secondary legislation to make storage exempt from the national planning regime in England.
Initially published on www.gov.uk 15 October 2019
Updated 14 July 2020
"The government will legislate to remove electricity storage, except pumped hydro, from the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime in England and Wales. This means the primary consenting route for electricity storage (except pumped hydro) in England will be under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA). In Wales, planning decisions for electricity storage (except pumped hydro) of any size will generally be consented by the relevant Local Planning Authority under the TCPA regime, whereas currently this is only the case for electricity storage (except pumped hydro) below 350 MW.
Electricity storage is a key technology in the transition to a smarter and more flexible energy system and will play an important role in helping to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050. These changes will make it simpler for large scale storage facilities to seek planning permission, helping to bring forward larger projects supporting more efficient grid balancing and management of intermittent renewable generation.
To achieve this, we will introduce 2 statutory instruments, one under the Planning Act 2008 and one under the Electricity Act 1989. These will begin their passage through Parliament on 14 July, when the first order (under the Planning Act 2008) will be laid before Parliament."
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