Hilfield Lane, Aldenham (170 MW battery storage)
Hilfield Lane, Aldenham is a 170 MW battery storage project in Hertsmere, England. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: approved on 16 January 2026, not yet built; the record was last updated on 24 February 2026.
170 MWbattery storage
approved, not builtstatus in REPD
24 February 2026record last updated
Hertsmerecouncil area
Planning timeline
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 6 February 2025 | Application submitted |
| 16 January 2026 | Planning permission granted |
| 16 January 2026 | Appeal allowed |
| 16 January 2029 | Permission due to expire (unless work starts) |
Project details
- Technology
- battery storage (stand-alone storage)
- Capacity
- 170 MW
- Status (REPD)
- approved, not built
- Record last updated
- 24 February 2026
- Operator or applicant
- Penso Power (BW ESS)
- Planning authority
- Hertsmere
- Planning application reference
- 25/0153/FUL
- Address (REPD)
- W/O Hilfield Lane, Aldenham, Watford
- Council area (by location)
- Hertsmere
- Time to decision
- 49 weeks
- Name in REPD
- Hilfield Lane, Aldenham - Battery Energy Storage
- REPD reference
- 17387
Who decides
| Applications | Hertsmere | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 16 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 4 (25%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 2 of 13 | 12% |
| Battery storage refused | 2 of 3 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 11.4 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 4 / 1 | — |
Other large projects within 10 km
| Project | Type | MW | Status | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilfield Solar arrays & Battery storage | solar farm | 49.9 | application withdrawn | 0.2 |
| Elstree Substation, Hilfield Lane | battery storage | 400 | application withdrawn | 0.5 |
| Butterfly Lane, Elstree BESS | battery storage | 99.9 | appeal lodged | 3.4 |
| Wrotham Park | solar farm | 30 | application submitted | 8.0 |
| Land At Swanland Road | solar farm | 5 | operational | 9.2 |
| Beechtree Junction, Potters Crouch | solar farm | 49.9 | application submitted | 9.8 |
| Mill Hill National Grid Substation | battery storage | 49.9 | approved, not built | 9.8 |
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 (51.6559, -0.339).