JUNCTION27 Energy Hub
DELIVERING CLEAN, LOW-COST ELECTRICITY FOR MID DEVON
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MODERNISING LOCAL ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
Clearstone Energy have submitted proposals to build a Battery Energy Storage System on land next to Junction 27 of the M5 (EX16 7HL), and are currently awaiting validation. Battery Energy Storage is a key priority for responding to the climate emergency by maximising the availability of green energy from solar and wind farms for use in UK homes and businesses. It does this by storing electricity when supply is greater than demand, such as in the middle of the night, and releasing it when demand outstrips supply, typically when demand peaks at the beginning and end of the working day.
The Junction 27 Energy Hub is a 400MW Battery Energy Storage project that would connect to local and national electricity networks via the National Grid overhead lines that run alongside the M5 at Junction 27. It would be capable of storing energy equivalent to a days' power for all 82,000 homes in Mid-Devon when fully charged.
LATEST NEWS
The Junction 27 Energy Hub proposals have now been submitted to Mid Devon District Council, and are currently awaiting validation by the Council. We will share details on how to comment on the planning application here, once the application has been validated.
Junction 27 Energy Hub has received press coverage on DevonLive. The news article, which was posted on the 22nd of June 2023, can be accessed here.
We held a public consultation event on 31st May 2023 at Sampford Peverell Village Hall. 56 local residents attended the event. Please click here to access the exhibition boards that were on display at the event.
The project team met with members of Burlescombe Parish Council 19 May 2023 and met with members of Sampford Peverell Parish Council on 31st May 2023.
FAQ section update:
We had some fantastic questions from those residents that attended the public consultation event on May 31st. Most of the questions were covered in the FAQ section of this website but there were a few questions that weren’t directly answered there which we wanted to cover in this update.
Examples of operational BESS sites:
A number of the residents that attended the public consultation event asked whether there were any operational battery energy storage facilities in the UK. We have published a page that provides further information and examples of operational BESS facilities. This page can be found at the top of this website or here.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
WHY WE NEED BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
Built for an era of coal and gas fired power stations, the existing UK electricity network needs upgrading to support the deployment of renewable, low carbon energy. The inflexibility of the network is adding costs to energy bills and fails to deliver the emissions reductions needed to prevent climate change.
FINANCIAL TIMES
“UK warned of risk to key net zero goal without power grid plan.”
In a sign of grid infrastructure struggling to keep pace with changes to the power system, the watchdog found that generators were being paid up to £62 million per day to cut output when supply outstripped demand and could not be stored.
1 March 2023
THE GUARDIAN
“National Grid pays high price for gas- generated power during UK cold snap.”
In total, the cost of balancing the system on Tuesday this week was estimated at between £5m and £10m... The cold, still weather reduced wind power and pushed up demand this week, while strikes at EDF’s nuclear plants in France also put a strain on the grid.
9 March 2023
THE RIGHT LOCATION
Strategically positioned on the National Grid transmission network to be able to support electricity supply across Devon and maximise the local use of renewable energy.
Built in an area that already hosts major road, rail and electricity network infrastructure.
Proximity to motorway network will reduce construction traffic passing through local towns and villages.
MINIMAL VISUAL IMPACT
The site already benefits from significant tree and hedgerow screening along the A361 boundary. There is existing hedgerow along the lane to Ayshford to the North of the site. Both boundaries will be supplemented with further planting to close any gaps and screen the site from both roads.
VITAL STATISTICS
60% of the project site allocated for nature enhancement.
40% of the site for batteries, equipment and substation.
All proposed electrical infrastructure is located in a low flood risk area
3 metre maximum height of batteries.
13 metre maximum height of substation equipment.
Capable of storing energy equivalent to a days’ power for all 82,000 homes in Mid-Devon when fully charged.
40 year operational lifetime.
WHAT IS CLEARSTONE OFFERING THE COMMUNITY?
Clearstone Energy is offering £50,000 of local community funding every year for the 40 years the Junction 27 Energy Hub operates. In total this amounts to £2million pounds of funding injected into Mid Devon economy, with the annual payment being index linked so that it increases with inflation. The money would be allocated across three types of scheme in line with local community and Mid Devon District Council’s priorities.
Electricity subsidy We believe that those that live closest to any of our proposed renewable energy projects should share in its economic benefits. The offer includes an annual subsidy for existing households closest and most affected by the project via a fixed financial contribution towards their electricity bill for the lifetime of the project.
Energy saving support for low income households Across the UK many households are struggling to pay for the energy they need for light, heat and cooking. Often referred to as fuel poverty. There were 5,043 households across Mid Devon in fuel poverty in 2021, 13.7% of total households. For many of these households the energy cost savings offered by LED lighting, improved insulation, higher efficiency heating systems and solar panels are not affordable. The project offers an annual financial contribution to help those households implement measures to reduce their energy consumption and, therefore, energy bills.
Support for community projects We will offer to establish a charitable fund to benefit the parishes of Burlescombe and Sampford Peverell. The fund would provide financial support to community organisations and individuals running local community projects. Examples of where we hope to support such work are promoting access to community activities or services, skills and employment opportunities for local people, sport and recreation, improved health and wellbeing, community energy projects or maintenance of community buildings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Battery energy storage sites are not usually audible above ambient noise- levels, particularly when sited close to busy roads as is the case here. A full noise assessment will be submitted with our planning application.
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The battery containers are designed to ensure safe operation across the project lifetime. Individual battery cells are continuously monitored by a sophisticated safety system and controlled remotely if required to ensure safe operation.
Battery energy storage systems are designed to comply with strict safety standards set by international regulatory bodies, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
These standards cover all aspects of the battery storage systems, from installation to operation and maintenance, to ensure that they meet the highest safety standards.
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No, the project is temporary with batteries, other equipment and hard infrastructure removed at the end of the project and the land returned to agricultural use.
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Most of the components are prefabricated offsite rather than assembled in situ. On site construction will be restricted to the laying of shallow concrete pads for battery containers to sit on and the craning of prefabricated units into position ready for cabling and connection works. As such, project construction would take 12-15 months.
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Typically, there would be on average one or two HGVs a day bringing prefabricated units to the site during construction. Once operational there will typically be two routine maintenance visits a month in a transit sized van.
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The site will not be illuminated at night.
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The Lithium-Ion batteries that will be used in the project are not reliant on scarce raw materials. There are established recycling processes for recovering the most common elements used in battery construction - cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese - for re-use.
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Clearstone Energy is offering £50,000 of local community funding every year for the 40 years the Junction 27 Energy Hub operates. In total this amounts to £2million pounds of funding injected into Mid Devon economy, with the annual payment being index linked so that it increases with inflation.
The offer is envisaged to support three types of schemes, depending on what the local community and Mid-Devon District Council wishes to prioritise. The amount is fixed to £50,000 per year to be allocated as appropriate between three different offers:
1. Electricity subsidy - We believe that those that live closest to any of our proposed renewable energy projects should share in its economic benefits. The offer includes an annual subsidy for existing households closest and most affected by the project via a fixed financial contribution towards their electricity bill for the lifetime of the project.
o The criteria for the scheme will be drawn up in consultation with Mid-Devon District Council, Burlescombe Parish Council and Sampford Peverell Parish Council as part of the public consultation process and then publicised. In principle, if the environmental impact assessments that accompany our Junction 27 planning application show that a home is adversely affected by the project, then the current bill payer at that home will be entitled to register for the scheme.
2. Energy saving support for low income households - Across the UK many households are struggling to pay for the energy they need for light, heat and cooking. Often referred to as fuel poverty, this affects around 6 million people in the UK in some way. For many of these households the energy cost savings offered by LED lighting, improved insulation, higher efficiency heating systems and solar panels are not affordable.
o The project offers an annual financial contribution to help low income households within Mid-Devon district to reduce their energy consumption and, therefore, energy bills. Household support will be delivered by a local partner, for example Exeter Community Energy who is already active in the local area providing energy saving support through its Healthy Homes for Wellbeing project. The partner will be determined through the planning application consultation process. The Junction 27 project will provide an annual financial contribution to the selected delivery partner for the lifetime of the project. Support will be directed at initiatives that will have the most impact for households in the local area.
3.Support for community projects - We will offer to establish a charitable fund to benefit the parishes of Burlescombe and Sampford Peverell. The fund would provide financial support to community organisations and individuals running local community projects. Examples of where we hope to support such work are promoting access to community activities or services, skills and employment opportunities for local people, sport and recreation, improved health and wellbeing, community energy projects or maintenance of community buildings.
o The offered charitable fund would be administered by a local Community Foundation who will manage applications for funding from community organisations and projects. The project will make an annual index linked contribution to the charitable fund for the duration of the project.
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BESS facilities are designed as containerised, modular systems. Those that have been built to date have typically used shipping containers to house batteries and associated equipment. The containers are laid out around an access track. The technology is continually advancing and newer designs use a series of cubes rather than shipping containers as a more compact option. Containers are usually painted white to reflect sunlight and reduce the energy required to cool the batteries. The maximum height of the batteries will be 3 metres.
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There is some loss of energy associated with all energy storage technologies. This energy loss (or preservation) is referred to as Round Trip Efficiency - in effect, how much of the energy put into the storage facility is put back on to the electricity grid. Lithium batteries are one of the most efficient of the storage technologies currently available with an efficiency approaching 90%. There are also transmission losses associated with transporting electricity through cables. For the nationwide electricity transmission network this is estimated to be around 2%. As the proposed battery project will connect directly to nearby overhead transmission lines there will be minimal electricity lost in the cables between the batteries and electricity network.
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The pylons are part of the nationwide electricity transmission owned by National Grid that transports energy from generators to towns and cities across the UK and will remain in place. The proposed project will connect directly to the transmission network via one of these pylons to assist the National Grid with balancing supply and demand across the country.
WHO WE ARE
Clearstone Energy is a leading British renewable energy developer.
We are working with National Grid to develop solar generation and battery energy storage projects that are building a new UK energy system based on clean, low cost and renewable energy.
Since founding in 2016, Clearstone Energy has developed nine energy projects in the UK. Two are operational and seven are in construction.
We believe that our projects can do more than energy generation and storage. They support the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in the communities that host them. They provide opportunities to build habitats for wildlife and contribute to the preservation of local ecosystems. They can deliver wider community benefits.
We value your input and feedback in shaping this project proposal. Thank you.
To find out more, please visit: clearstoneenergy.com
Digby Willoughby
Senior Development Manager
Junction 27 Energy Hub
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
No-one knows a local area better than its residents and we would be grateful for your feedback to help us refine our proposals for Junction 27 Energy Hub. Please use the form provided or take the survey below to tell us what you think. We are particularly interested in your views on:
Our ecological enhancement plans for the area between the batteries and the River Lyner.
The position of the access point to the site.
Is there additional screening that we could provide on the site?
Our community benefit offer.
Whether there is a community project that this project could support financially.
TAKE OUR SURVEY
Click on the button to complete our survey to let us know your views on the above.
KEEP IN CONTACT
Please keep coming back to the project website, where we will provide updates on the consultation process and the project. For further information, please do not hesitate to email the project team at feedback@j27energyhub.com or call 0800 707 4063.