Regulation 19 Rutland Local Plan
Energy Infrastructure
What will the policy do?
The Council is committed to supporting the transition to net zero carbon future and, in doing so, recognises and supports, in principle, the need for significant investment in new and upgraded energy infrastructure.
Policy CC10 - Wider Energy Infrastructure Comment
Where planning permission is needed, support will be given to proposals that are necessary for, or form part of, the transition to a net zero carbon sub-region, which could include: heat networks; energy storage facilities (such as battery storage or thermal storage); and upgraded or new electricity facilities (such as transmission facilities, sub-stations or other electricity infrastructure).
However, any such proposals should mitigate any harm arising from such development and demonstrate that the location chosen is an appropriate location for such a facility and ensure that the design of the proposals include solutions which minimise harm that may arise on the landscape.
Why is this policy needed?
In order to support the transition to a zero carbon Rutland, there is a need to move away from fossil fuels towards low carbon alternatives and this transition needs to take place with increasing momentum in order to stay within identified carbon saving targets.
There may also be a need arising in future to consider future forms of potentially low-carbon energy, such as hydrogen (noting that hydrogen's role in the UK's net zero carbon transition is anticipated to be mainly in heavy industry, transport, and storage of excess renewable electricity, rather than becoming a direct replacement for natural gas in homes and other heated buildings).
The key implication of the move towards low carbon energy will be the increasing demand for electricity. Meanwhile, the latest calculations of the UK's optimal pathway to net zero carbon, including the necessary transition of buildings and transport to electricity (instead of gas and petrol/diesel), should result in an electricity demand increase from 2020 levels of 53% by 2035 and doubling by 2050.
In addition to the increase in demand, the electricity grid will also need to become more able to respond to greater peaks and troughs in energy generation as the generation mix becomes more renewable-heavy, as renewable energy generation such as wind and solar can be more intermittent (compared to conventional fossil fuels which can be increased or decreased in rapid response to the demands being placed on the grid). This means our future grid, to be fit for net zero carbon future, needs to become able to store energy for later use, smartly direct energy from where it is generated to where it is needed, and be able to maintain frequency throughout rapid fluctuations in the generation and demand. The Royal Town Planning Institute states that in addition to bringing forward renewable energy generation, the planning system will also need to "play a key role in aiding a transmission strategy by helping deliver the next generation of energy connections, storage and smart grid infrastructure."
As a result, the infrastructure around energy will need to adapt and change to accommodate the increased need for the management and storage of electricity. Consideration of existing and new electricity sub-stations, storage and energy strategies for large developments will be required to help support the future energy infrastructure needs for Rutland. In addition, there may be the potential for heat network zones to support the transition to net zero in the future.
Batteries can help to maximise the efficiency of an installation by allowing energy to be stored. Battery storage should be considered as part of all solar developments. Batteries and inverters should be co-located in existing buildings where possible and should be located away from noise sensitive development. Where planning permission is being sought for development of battery energy storage systems of 1MW or over, in open air environments using lithium-ion batteries government guidance set out in PPG: Renewable and low carbon energy encourages applicants to engage with the relevant local fire and rescue service before submitting a planning application. Where relevant the local fire and rescue service will also be consulted on planning applications. This is to ensure that the fire and rescue service are given the opportunity to provide their views on the application to identify the potential mitigations which could be put in place in the event of an incident, and so these views can be taken into account when determining the application. Further guidance on Grid Scale Energy storage and fire safety has been produced by the National Fire Chiefs ( https://nfcc.org.uk/consultation/draft-grid-scale-energy-storage-system-planning-guidance/ )
