Council rejects 33-hectare electric battery site

Conservative committee chairman Alan Turner told fellow councillors this proposal was ultimately a "business opportunity"

Katharine Da Costa/BBC Seven people stand in a row outside a council office, in protest against the proposed battery site. A lady in the middle holds a bright pink sign saying "NO to Stater Battery Storage". There are two women and five men, all wearing winter coats. — Conservative committee chairman Alan Turner told fellow councillors this proposal was ultimately a "business opportunity"

Plans to build an electricity storage station have been rejected by a council after hundreds of people objected.

A committee at Buckinghamshire Council voted by a majority of seven to two to throw out proposals for the 500MW storage facility near Granborough, a village between Buckingham and Aylesbury.

Statera Energy wanted to store batteries in 518 shipping containers on what would have been a 33-hectare site.

The company said it was "disappointed" by the decision and would look at next steps.

At the meeting of the Strategic Sites Committee on Thursday, the council rejected the plans on the grounds that they would harm the landscape and its character.

Conservative committee chairman Alan Turner told fellow councillors: "It is a business opportunity rather than providing any green energy."

The batteries would be housed in containers on a site that would have extended over 33 hectares of fields

Statera A row of bottle green shipping containers that would be used to house the batteries, situated next to an energy substation and surrounded by trees. — The batteries would be housed in containers on a site that would have extended over 33 hectares of fields

People living near the land, which is next to the East Claydon substation, also raised concerns about the risk of fires and explosions caused by so many batteries placed together, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Parish councillor Steve Slater cited the Buncefield fuel depot fire in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said battery fires at storage sites were "extremely rare in the UK".

They added: "Every battery storage facility we construct helps protect families from future energy shocks".

'Hideous monster'

Statera wanted to store energy from renewable sources for the National Grid, such as from wind and solar, and the firm has said it wants to help wean Britain off fossil fuel.

The system would have remained in use for 40 years and would have helped power 540,000 homes, the company said.

The MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, Conservative Greg Smith, warned the site would have been "devastating" to the environment and communities, and would have been another "hideous monster to ravage the countryside".

Proposals by different companies for a solar farm and another battery storage unit in the same area have also faced local opposition.

Statera Energy said: "We are disappointed by the council members' decision to refuse the application, especially given the positive recommendations from its officers."

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