UK local councils approved over 5GW of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in July 2025, marking the busiest month of the year for large-scale battery storage planning consents. The approvals totaled 5,044MW of power capacity and 10,488MWh of energy storage capacity.

Major Project Approvals Drive Record Month

The July approvals were led by several significant projects that received planning consent. Lightrock Power's 600MW Stable Green Energy project received approval at the very end of July, representing the largest single approval. 

Root-Power secured consent for its 50MW/100MWh Lucky Star project, while projects from ESB, RES and Renewable Connections totaling 490MW also gained approval during the month. 

These approvals bring the total quantity of approved BESS projects in the UK to 68,915MW of power capacity and 143,678MWh of energy storage capacity. This figure includes projects under construction but excludes operational projects.

Planning Pipeline Shows Mixed Trends

The substantial July approvals made a notable impact on the planning pipeline, with the total cumulative submitted capacity of projects awaiting planning decisions falling from 36,193MW/74,897MWh at the end of June to 32,535MW/67,082MWh at the end of July. 

However, the planning queue has been growing throughout 2025, having started the year at 27,868MW/56,588MWh and steadily increasing over the course of the year before the July reduction.

Limited Operational Additions

While July saw significant planning approvals, it was a relatively quiet month for projects entering commercial operation. Only 35MW/70MWh of battery storage capacity came online during the month. 

The modest operational additions brought the UK's total operational battery storage capacity past the 10GWh milestone, reaching 6,987MW of power capacity and 10,204MWh of energy storage capacity.

Grid Connection Reform Context

The battery storage approvals come as the UK clean energy market undergoes major reforms to the grid connection queue process. Developers are currently required to submit evidence demonstrating that their projects are both 'ready and needed' as part of the reformed system. 

Having planning consent in place represents a key component of meeting these criteria. The data on July's approvals comes from Solar Media Market Research's Battery Storage: UK Pipeline & Completed Assets Database report, which tracks the development pipeline and operational status of battery storage projects across the UK market.