Green light for £130m Scottish battery storage farm that can power 240,000 homes for two hours

A vast £130 million battery storage facility in West Lothian is the latest project of its kind to be green lighted as the country increases its reliance on renewable energy sources.

When fully charged, the two-hectare, 200-megawatt site will have the capacity to meet peak electricity demands for approximately 240,000 homes for two hours or sustain the average energy needs of around 600,000 households over the same period, developers noted.

Submitted in early 2024, the proposals have now been given the green light by the Scottish Government’s energy consents unit, with the project expected to support some 80 jobs during the construction phase.

A CGI of what the new battery energy storage system facility near Bathgate, West Lothian, should look like when completed.

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.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) 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.

Michael Newton, sustainability developer at OnPath Energy, said: “Battery storage sites such as Pond are going to have a huge role to play in achieving net zero. Not only that, but beyond its environmental impact, Pond will deliver significant social and economic benefits to the local economy.

“During construction, the project will support around 80 jobs, putting more than £1.6m into the pockets of local workers, benefitting the local economy massively. Once up and running, it will contribute over £1,000,000 in community benefits over the lifetime of the project.

More battery energy storage facilities are required as new renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, are rolled out.

“We’re incredibly pleased that we are now at the stage where the site has been consented and we can look ahead to the construction phase of the project,” he added.

In May 2024, OnPath Energy submitted a planning application to the Government for the site on Whitburn Road to the south east of Bathgate. The company has a history of successful renewable energy projects, having secured planning permissions for 16 wind farms across the UK. Three are currently in operation across Scotland, with one in development, one under construction and another two renewable energy projects set to start construction in the next three years.

Newton added: “Working closely with communities is at the heart of what we do, it’s something our team is incredibly passionate about doing the right way.

“As we move forward with this project, we’ll make sure the local community stays informed and involved every step of the way. It’s vital that we continue to build upon the strong relationships with everyone who will benefit from this exciting new facility.”

Several large-scale BESS projects have been given the nod in recent years. Just last month, approval was granted to build a giant battery storage facility near a village just five miles from Stirling.

Renewable energy storage specialist Apatura said its 400-megawatt capacity BESS - one of the largest of its type in the UK - would cover 11.2 hectares of land. It called it an “important milestone” in its mission to deliver “sustainable energy infrastructure and solutions that fast-track the UK’s path to net zero”.

Apatura’s planned project close to Denny and near the village of Plean, some five miles south-east of Stirling, is the seventh battery storage project that the company has received planning consent for in the last 12 months, bringing its total consented pipeline to 1.4 gigawatts (GW).

Andrew Philpott, chief development officer at Apatura, said: “We are delighted that Scottish Ministers have supported this critically important scheme and the local council - Stirling - lodged no objections.”

The roll-out of new wind turbines and solar farms has led to an increase in the use of battery energy storage systems. These consist of one or more large batteries that store electrical power for use at a later time.

It all sounds simple enough - essentially a much larger version of the portable power banks that some mobile device users carry around with them. In reality, industrial-scale battery storage systems are packed with advanced tech that allows them to capture the electrical energy and discharge it in the most efficient manner possible.

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.

One of the greatest fears raised in connection with battery storage schemes is safety, and the potential for combustion. Fires involving lithium-ion batteries are rare but extremely difficult to extinguish and those events have blackened the image of what is seen as a key source of clean energy.

Meanwhile, Salamander Offshore Wind Farm, a project being developed by a joint venture between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, has been awarded planning permission in principle for the onshore aspects of its proposed floating wind development, located off Peterhead.

A second application to the Scottish Government for the wind farm’s energy balancing infrastructure that includes a battery storage facility has now been validated and is progressing through assessment, the venture added.

Why these behemoth renewable energy batteries in Scotland are just next stage in eyesore power infrastructure