A major battery energy storage development planned on farmland north of Penrith could become one of the largest battery projects in the country, with the developers proposing a facility capable of storing up to 8GWh of electricity.
Plans for the Plumpton Energy Park at Scarfoot, Plumpton, have been submitted to Westmorland and Furness Council by NatPower as a “Scoping opinion request for battery energy storage scheme with associated infrastructure”.
The scale of the proposed battery storage facility is significant with capacity of up to 1GW, with enough storage to hold up to 8GWh of electricity.
The batteries would store electricity when supply to the grid outstrips demand and feed power back into the grid when it is needed.
Battery storage is becoming an increasingly important part of the UK energy infrastructure as the country moves towards generating more of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
The developers' economic assessment estimates that building the facility could support around 70 direct jobs, with the wider construction and supply chain potentially supporting around 175 jobs.
The construction period is expected to last around 18 months, with the developer estimating around £23.2m of economic activity could be generated during the construction phase leading to longer-term financial benefit for the area.
The developer is also proposing community funding to benefit the local area long term.
NatPower says it is developing a Community Energy Transition Foundation, with the Plumpton project potentially contributing up to £1m a year towards community energy and decarbonisation projects during the lifetime of the facility.
The proposed site is currently agricultural land and the development would bring a substantial piece of energy infrastructure into the countryside north of Penrith. Its impact on the landscape, nearby properties and surrounding area will therefore be important considerations as the planning process moves forward.
Noise has also been assessed with a survey carried out around the site in March, with the assessment concluding that the development is not expected to result in significant adverse operational noise effects.
The battery facility would not generate electricity itself. Instead, its role would be to help balance supply and demand on the grid.
The supporting assessment says the facility could discharge up to 6.4GWh of electricity in a day, helping to make better use of renewable electricity when production is high and demand is lower.
If approved, the Plumpton Energy Park would put a major piece of the UK's emerging energy infrastructure in the local area – bringing the potential for jobs, investment and community funding.
The plans are open for consultation and can be found on the Westmorland and Furness planning portal https://planningregister.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/Planning/Display/2026/1499/SCOPE
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