Llettyscilp Farm Energy Storage System

Innova are working on a proposal for an energy storage system on land to the northwest of Swansea North National Grid substation, to the east of the B4489. The scheme will be wholly contained within grazing fields, which will contain all technical equipment and areas of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). This proposal will be connected into the transmission network, and has potential to be used by local homes and businesses.

The scheme has a maximum export capacity of 400 megawatts (MW). The final installed capacity of the site will be confirmed through the remaining surveys such as Noise, Flood Risk Assessment, and Landscape and Visual Assessment.

The site areas have been carefully selected and designed during a detailed assessment process, which has considered grid availability, access, arboriculture, ecology, heritage, and environmental designations.

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050, with the aim to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030. As part of this, the Government has set an ambitious target to deliver 30GW of energy storage by 2030.

In 2019, Swansea City Council declared a climate emergency, with ambitious targets to be a Net Zero council by 2030 and a Net Zero city by 2050. Projects like Llettyscilp Farm are a key part of meeting these targets.

An important part of the development process and design of the proposed development is to engage with the local community. We are therefore providing project details in the form of project information packs to residents of the local area.

You can also request further information by emailing info@innova.co.uk.

The Welsh government has committed to fully meet electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035. The proposed development would support this ambitious target and increase the use of renewable energy through supporting the availability of energy to the National Grid.

The Future Energy Scenarios 2022 report (written by National Grid ESO) indicates that the UK will need more than 250GW of energy storage by 2050, and this proposal would add a significant amount of energy storage to this pipeline. In April 2022, Renewable UK reported that, nationwide, there was around 1.5GW of energy storage in operation, 1.5GW under construction, and 10GW that had consent, but had not yet been built. A significant increase is required to meet the projected requirements.

Projects like Llettyscilp Farm ESS will allow electricity that has been produced by renewables to be stored in periods of high supply and released at times of high demand and low supply, whilst also allowing us to make better use of our existing electricity supplies from conventional generation methods.

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050,  and has a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. This requires an extra 3GW of solar to be built each year. In 2019, Swansea City Council declared a climate emergency, with ambitious targets to be a Net Zero council by 2030, and a Net Zero city by 2050.

Renewable energy developments like Llettyscilp Farm ESS are a key part of addressing the Climate Emergency. The development will serve a key role in this vital transition to renewable energy.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will be delivered onsite, in areas such as the north of the development as well as through planting along the site boundaries and other appropriate areas. It is a way of making sure the habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development. The planting plan is currently being established and ecological enhancements will form part of the planning application.

A full and comprehensive suite of surveys has been completed which includes Great Crested Newt, bat, and badger surveys. Tree and hedgerow surveys have also been conducted to mitigate the impact on these natural assets.

We are proposing an energy storage development on land to the Northwest of Swansea North National Grid substation, to the east of the B4489. The scheme will be contained within fields currently used for grazing.

The development areas have been carefully selected and designed via a detailed assessment process. This has considered grid availability, heritage and archaeology, landscape and visual amenity, ecology, environmental designations, access, and agricultural land quality.

A Site Selection Assessment was initially completed, which sought to identify the optimum site to accommodate the proposed development within a reasonable proximity of the Swansea North National Grid substation. This assessment concluded with the site provided below, situated a short distance north of the National Grid Substation.

The proposal comprises energy storage units which will be distributed across the site in pairs, each with an associated transformer and inverter. Groups of ESS units will then be connected into a 33/132kV transformer, which will then feed electricity to the on-site 400kV substation, for export into the National Grid substation. The proposal will be connected to Swansea North National Grid substation via an underground cable.

Existing mature trees and hedgerows surround the site, which will be retained where possible to provide screening. Landscape enhancements will also be delivered to further screen the development and provide an opportunity to deliver significant Biodiversity Net Gain on site.

Access information:

Two access points are proposed for construction and operation: the first utilising the existing farm access into the centre of the site, this will be the access used by maintenance vehicles once the site is constructed. The second access will also utilise the existing farm track but will create a new entrance into the development from the south. This will allow access for the large site equipment during construction, as well as serving as a second entrance for fire safety.

Construction traffic:

During construction, a traffic management plan will be put in place. Once the energy storage system installation is complete, the site requires very little maintenance. Operational access will comprise (approximately) of monthly visits in regular cars or 4×4 vehicles. Once the project is operational, visits to site will be required only for occasional maintenance checks, with most operational and monitoring functions carried out remotely.

We are currently assessing the number of construction vehicles that will be required, and this will be detailed within the Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP). This will be submitted as part of the planning application, to be agreed by the Council and adhered to by the appointed contractor. The CTMP will also include a suite of mitigation measures to reduce the effect of construction traffic on the local highway network.

A plan of the proposed construction traffic route is provided below:

Once operational, the site will be visited for occasional routine maintenance, typically once or twice a month by a light goods vehicle. In the first five operational years, regular visits will be made by landscape contractors and ecologists to monitor and manage completed landscape works.

Cable route:

The site will be connected into the Swansea North National Grid substation to the south. This will require a short cable route directly to this location. The exact route is yet to be confirmed, and Innova are engaging with local landowners to secure a route into the National Grid substation.

We have instructed a range of specialist consultants who are currently undertaking surveys to inform the design and planning application. The following surveys have been undertaken or are ongoing as part of the planning process:

• Preliminary Ecological Appraisal
• Bats
• Great Crested Newts (GCN)
• Badgers
• Initial Landscape Appraisal
• Full Landscape & Visual Assessment
• Heritage Desktop Assessment
• Arboriculture
• Civils Design
• Topographical
• Transport
• Noise
• Geophysical Survey

These include the work currently completed and underway. There will be a further suite of surveys to be undertaken in conjunction with feedback from the public consultation.

Why do we need renewable energy developments?

The UK has a legally binding target to achieve Net Zero by 2050, and has committed to fully decarbonising the electricity network by 2035. This results in many low carbon and renewable developments being needed across the UK.

There will be a significant increase in demand for electricity in the coming years as more sectors (such as vehicles, heating, haulage and trains) rely more extensively on electricity as a fuel source. Energy Storage Systems are leading the way in balancing demand for electricity and providing flexibility to the supply of electricity in terms of where it can be stored on the network, and the times when it can be utilised.

What do Energy Storage Systems do?

The ESS will be able to charge up and store electricity during times of oversupply on the network. During periods of peak demand, or during unexpected drop in generation, the ESS is able to export electricity back into the national grid. The system can operate without delay and can play a role in maintaining grid frequency and stability.

How safe is the ESS?

ESS are a safe technology and there are many sites across the UK operating today. The development will incorporate a number of embedded safety mitigation measures to ensure the development operates safely and in accordance with regulatory requirements and the requirements of the local Fire Service.

Why do we need to develop here?

The nearby Swansea North National Grid substation has available capacity and infrastructure to allow this project to be connected. The positioning of the site is required to be near the National Grid substation to enable an efficient cable connection, minimising transmission losses. The land is available for development with an engaged landowner.

Will the site reduce my energy bills?

Solar is by far the cheapest form of electricity generation in the UK and wind is cheap as well, however, both of these are intermittent. ESS allows for solar and wind energy produced when demand is low to be storage and then released when demand is high. The delivery of sites like Llettyscilp Farm ESS will increase the amount of renewable energy generation across the UK and with its cheaper rates, the overall national energy price will reduce.

Will it emit noise?

The equipment will emit noise. We plan to undertake a Noise Impact Assessment to establish any potential impacts on nearby receptors and will include any required mitigation measures within our final design.

400MW/800MWh – what does this mean?

The Proposal will be able to import and export a maximum of 400MW of power per hour to/from the grid. The site will run on a 2-hour system, meaning that if the battery is fully charged, it can discharge at its maximum power rating providing 400MW per hour before needing a recharge – therefore 800MWh across the 2-hour period.