A green energy company wants to build a £350 million battery energy storage compound in the heart of the Midlands.
Exagen has put in planning for a 19 acre site which it said could hold enough green energy to power 235,000 homes for two solid hours.
It said, pending approval, it would be 10 times bigger than typical battery storage sites, storing spare energy from wind and solar which it would release when the wind stops blowing and the sun stops shining.
It wants to build the site, which it is calling the Normanton Energy Reserve, on fields in countryside between Leicester and Hinckley.
The plans have been supported by a multi-million pound investment in Exagen from the Octopus Energy Development Partnership, which was announced last summer.
The new fund is managed by Octopus Energy Generation, one of Europe’s biggest investors in renewable energy. Octopus Energy has a major base in Leicester.
If Blaby District Council gives the go-ahead, construction could take place through 2027 and the site could be linked to the grid in 2028.
Exagen development director Mark Rowcroft said: “Over the next few months, we’ll be announcing a variety of opportunities for individuals and businesses to get involved.
“We look forward to hearing from those in Thurlaston, Earl Shilton and the surrounding area about how we can make this site best work for them long-term.”
