Energy company submits screening request for battery storage facility near Uckfield

A sustainable energy company appears to be considering plans to create an energy storage facility near Uckfield.

Last month, Wealden District Council received an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Request connected to potential proposals to create a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on land to the north of Bradfords Lane, on the outskirts of Little Horsted.

Such requests see potential developers, in this case Zenobe Energy Limited, ask councils to determine whether an EIA — a pre-application process used to identify whether a project will have any significant environmental effects — is considered to be a necessary step in the planning process.

Due to their comprehensive scale and scope, EIAs only need to be undertaken for certain forms of development, usually those with the potential for a significant environmental impact.

While not guaranteed to lead to a full planning application, such requests typically indicate developers are at least considering submission of more concrete proposals.

In this case Zenobe say it is considering the creation of a BESS facility with a storage capacity of up to 300 megawatts on the site. The company says this facility would be likely to consist of “multiple” containerised lithium-ion battery storage units.

The company says the facility, if approved and built, would be expected to connect to the Little Horsted substation. This company notes this substation is currently under construction and not expected to enter operation until 2027.

It said this facility would not meet the threshold for an EIA.

Within its screening request, an agent for the energy company said: “The proposed development would store renewable energy and supply this energy back to the national grid when demand exceeds renewable energy supply. It would also help ensure that renewable energy production is not curtailed, thereby maximising domestic energy security.

“Furthermore, the proximity to the substation would prevent loss of energy during transfer, resulting in more efficient energy storage.

“The applicant respectfully requests WDC [Wealden District Council] confirm that the proposed development does not constitute EIA Development and that an EIA is therefore not required to support any forthcoming application for planning permission.

“Although no likely significant effects are expected, a comprehensive appraisal of the environmental effects outlined above, supported as relevant by a range of technical assessments, would be carried out and included in the application to WDC.”

In a decision notice published earlier this week, council planning officers confirmed such a development would not require an EIA to be undertaken.
However, the council planning officers did indicate that any planning application on the proposals should include a number of other assessments.

These, the officers said, should include a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA), a heritage impact assessment and a noise impact assessment, among others.

Planning officers also said any planning application should include surveys to identify whether there are any notable or protected species on the site, as well as written plans setting out how construction, maintenance and decommissioning would be carried out.

These written plans should also include details of how fire safety and battery safety would be managed, officers said.

At time of publication no formal planning application to create a BESS on the site has been validated by Wealden District Council.

For further information on the screening request see reference WD/2025/6503/SO on the Wealden District Council website.