Huge battery energy system to be built after £157m deal

WHILE PLANNING WAS GRANTED THREE YEARS AGO, NO WORK HAS YET STARTED - THAT IS SOON SET TO CHANGE

- By COREENA FORD

WORK is finally set to start on a huge energy storage system on the back of a £157m deal.

Proposals for a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Marfleet were first put to planners back in 2021, for construction on land to the North of Great Field Lane.

Those plans were approved by Hull City Council in 2022, paving the way for the system to be built on the land, bounded to the north side by the former Hull to Withernsea railway. While planning was granted three years ago, no work has yet started on the land.

However, that is now set to change after North Yorkshire power station operator Drax Group struck a £157.2m deal to acquire three battery energy storage systems, along with two others in Scotland, from owners Apatura.