Cellarhead Substation, Rownall Road Battery Energy Facility (400 MW)

Cellarhead Substation, Rownall Road Battery Energy Facility is a 400 MW battery storage project in Staffordshire Moorlands, England. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: approved on 22 December 2022, not yet built; the record was last updated on 3 January 2023. REPD also records that the planning permission expired on 22 December 2025, so the project may not go ahead in this form. Check the planning authority's register for the latest position.

Data: REPD July 2026 extract · calculated 7 November 2026 · Methodology and sources

400 MWbattery storage

approved, not builtmay be out of datestatus in REPD

3 January 2023record last updated

Staffordshire Moorlandscouncil area

REPD also records that the planning permission expired on 22 December 2025, so the project may not go ahead in this form.

Planning timeline

Date	Stage
22 August 2022	Application submitted
22 December 2022	Planning permission granted
22 December 2025	Permission expired

Project details

Technology: battery storage (stand-alone storage)
Capacity: 400 MW
Status (REPD): approved, not built
Record last updated: 3 January 2023
Operator or applicant: C&S Energy Limited
Planning authority: Staffordshire Moorlands
Planning application reference: SMD/2022/0444
Address (REPD): East of Cellarhead Substation, and West of Rownall Road, Wetley Rocks
Council area (by location): Staffordshire Moorlands
Time to decision: 17 weeks
Name in REPD: Cellarhead Substation, Rownall Road - Battery Energy Facility
REPD reference: 12179

Earlier applications for this site

Application	MW	Submitted	Outcome
Cellarhead Battery Site SMD/2021/0695	349	3 November 2021	refused 21 June 2022

Who decides

Applications	Staffordshire Moorlands	UK
Decided applications (solar, wind, battery)	25	10,236
Refused	8 (32%)	19%
Solar refused	3 of 15	12%
Battery storage refused	5 of 10	16%
Median time from submission to decision	28.4 weeks	17.0 weeks
Appeals lodged / allowed	1 / 1	—

Other large projects within 10 km

Project	Type	MW	Status	km
Newfields Farm, Rownall Road	battery storage	99.9	approved, not built	0.5
Cellarhead Substation, Rownall Road	battery storage	400	application submitted	0.7
Adj New House Farm, Luzlow Lane	battery storage	99	refused	1.3
Armshead Farm, Armshead Road	battery storage	50	approved, not built	1.8
Leek Road, Werrington	battery storage	300	application submitted	2.3
Land at Heywood Grange	solar farm	8.4	operational	5.3
Brown Edge	battery storage	49.5	approved, not built	6.6
Draycott Cross Road	battery storage	40	approved, not built	8.5
The Fields Farm	solar farm	5	refused	8.6

Status and dates as recorded in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract); the database is compiled from public sources and can lag behind council decisions. Location: REPD grid reference (53.0431, -2.0775).