Public meeting called over plan to turn former Doncaster power station into battery farm

The Banks Group has submitted plans to Doncaster Council to convert the former Thorpe Marsh site near Barnby Dun into an eco-energy hub.

The application would see up to 2.25 million tonnes of pulverised fuel ash reclaimed from the site over a five year period to allowe the installation of an 800 container battery storage facility storing up to to 2.8 gigawatts of energy.

Barnby Dun with Kirk Sandall Parish Council has called the meeting which will take place on March 14 from 7pm at the Parish Hall in Top Road, Barnby Dun.

A spokesman said the meeting was to discuss ‘an important local planning application.’

Banks revealed its plans last October, saying the plan will transform the remains of the derelict station, which closed in 1994, and would be connected to the National Grid.

It is thought to be the biggest energy storage system currently being planned in the UK, and one of the largest in the world.

If planning permission is granted, the firm hope to begin work on the site in 2024 and have it reach completion by the end of the decade.

Integrated within the station will be a biodiversity area including wetlands, woodlands and grassland across 65 hectares of land, west of Barnby Dun, the firm has said.

Banks added that it hopes the station will ensure reliable and stable electricity grid operation through renewable sources, supporting the UK’s drive towards net zero emissions.