50-megawatt battery energy storage system to be built next to Scottish commuter town

Planning consent has been granted for a battery storage facility on more than five acres of land close to East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire.

The new grid-scale, 50-megawatt facility is the ninth battery energy storage system (BESS) development that Apatura has secured planning permission for in the last 16 months. When completed, the East Kilbride facility will connect to a local substation and collect, store and discharge renewably generated energy onto the grid as and when it is needed.

The proposed site is located half a mile outside the town on land 150 metres south-east of East Kilbride Substation on Cairnmuir Road. It will consist of 16 battery container units plus associated infrastructure, including transformers and a substation building.

Battery energy storage systems consist of several large batteries that store electrical power for use at a later time.

The firm said the development will be “screened from all directions” with native planting and will be operational for a period of 40 years, after which time the land will be restored to its original condition.

Andrew Philpott, chief development officer at Apatura, said: “Battery storage facilities like our planned development at East Kilbride underpin the ongoing expansion of the UK’s renewable energy generation capability. They make a significant contribution to enhancing UK grid security and grid stability and are integral to enabling our country to decarbonise its energy system and its economy and achieve its net zero targets.

“Battery storage will also help to deliver stable energy prices, leading to reduced bills for households and businesses. It will contribute to greater energy security and independence for the UK in the future.”

He added: “Construction of the project will provide a significant boost to the local East Kilbride economy. It will directly create jobs with the construction, operational and decommissioning phases of the project, and also indirectly in the supply chain and related services.”

Battery energy storage systems consist of several large batteries that store electrical power for use at a later time. They can be charged using excess electricity generated by wind or solar farms, for example, or by grid connection during periods of lower demand. However, many of these projects have attracted criticism over their impact on the landscape and concerns regarding the risk of fire.

Several large-scale BESS projects have been given the nod in recent years. Last month, a vast £130 million facility in West Lothian was granted consent, with the 200-megawatt site having the capacity to meet peak electricity demands for approximately 240,000 homes for two hours.

Developed by onshore renewables developer OnPath Energy, the “state-of-the-art” facility will be located on Pond Industrial Estate near Bathgate. The firm said Pond Flexible Energy Park would play a vital role in Scotland’s journey towards its 2045 net zero goals.

The roll-out of new wind turbines and solar farms has led to an increase in the use of battery energy storage systems. Detractors of these sorts of energy storage farms raise a number of concerns, besides the potentially negative visual impact. These include the relatively high upfront costs involved and the limited lifespan of the batteries. The reliability of BESS is also typically lower than that of traditional power generation sources such as oil and gas or nuclear.