A £25 million battery is planned for the edge of Carlisle.

Pivot Power has announced today the scheme to build the grid-scale battery, which will pave the way for an electric vehicle charging 'superhub', capable of charging around 100 electric vehicles.

It is the firm's second site in the UK to be given planning permission.

It will be one of the UK’s biggest, storing enough electricity to supply nearly 6,000 average homes for a day from a single charge and is set to be operational by October next year.

It is part of the company's national plans to create a sustainable charging network in a £1.6bn scheme.

A company spokesman said: "The development will put Carlisle at the forefront of the smart energy revolution, creating infrastructure that will make it easier for drivers to switch to electric vehicles and that will support action to clean up the region’s air.

"The activity may also support growing logistics activity at the area, such as that at Kingsmoor Park Local Enterprise Zone, provide a valuable rapid charge facility for tourists, and support potential future growth of electrified transport across the M6 corridor."

The firm said it will submit a new planning application for the superhub at another site in the area, yet to be confirmed. The spokesman added: "The precise make-up of the superhub is to be determined, but it could offer rapid charging at competitive rates for up to 100 cars at the same time and will be capable of supporting the fastest chargers.

"It will also be able to support mass charging infrastructure for commercial fleets such as electric buses, taxis and vans, and Pivot Power will engage with the council and local companies to explore these opportunities."

Mikey Clark, CTO of Pivot Power, said: “As this week marks Green Great Britain Week we could not be more thrilled to announce the plan.

"Our plans will see Carlisle become a pioneering city for low carbon vehicle adoption, ensuring that the rural areas it serves are not left lagging in the EV revolution.”

Pivot Power will build the battery on a plot on National Grid land, next to the substation.

It will be housed in 25 containers, surrounded and concealed by a security fence. Construction is expected to start around July and take three months.

Pivot Power aims to have operational 50MW batteries at 10 sites within 18 months and 45 within five years.

Southampton was named as the first site in July.