Green light given for massive 400MW battery energy storage system close to central Scotland village

Plans have been granted to build a giant battery storage facility near a village just five miles from Stirling.

Renewable energy storage specialist Apatura said the 400-megawatt (MW) capacity battery energy storage system (BESS) - one of the largest of its type in the UK - will cover 11.2 hectares of land. It has 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”.

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.

Renewable energy storage specialist Apatura is behind the 400-megawatt (MW) capacity battery energy storage system. Picture: Apatura

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. Our focus on Scotland is central to our vision to harness its renewable energy potential. These latest approvals reinforce Scotland’s strategic advantage in delivering resilient energy infrastructure.

“By securing strategic locations and grid connections, we are directly contributing to the UK’s energy security strategy, ensuring a stable and sustainable power supply.”

The latest BESS site, which will comprise a battery electricity storage facility and associated infrastructure and the planting of new native species trees “to improve biodiversity”, was approved by the Scottish Government’s energy consents unit.

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

When it comes online, it is expected to make a substantial contribution to the Scottish Government’s goal of generating 50 per cent of the country’s overall energy consumption from renewable sources, and by 2050 to have decarbonised its energy system almost completely.

The firm, which is headquartered in York with offices in Edinburgh, said it had worked closely with the energy consents unit and Stirling Council to achieve a successful outcome, which will bring “grid resilience” and also create local job opportunities and a community benefit fund. Direct employment opportunities are expected during the construction, operational and decommissioning phases, as well as indirect job creation throughout the supply chain and related services.

In the letter granting consent, Scottish Ministers concluded that the proposed new development will “support the resilience of the electricity network through the electricity it [stores] and the additional technical services it can provide to the electricity system operator. It will contribute to sustainable development, providing for greater and more efficient use of renewable energy generation in the electricity system, and in this regard, it will contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reduction ambitions.”

Philpott added: “Battery energy storage systems play a crucial role in modern energy management, especially in the context of renewable energy integration and grid stability. It is central to our goal of enhancing the renewable energy infrastructure in Scotland and follows on from a number of recent successful planning consents.

“This scheme will help deliver stable energy prices, leading to reduced bills, taking the pressure off households while at the same time increasing energy security. We are determined to deliver reliable, clean energy to communities across the country and this latest planning consent does just that.”

Last October, Apatura secured planning permission to build and operate a 100-megawatt battery energy storage system at Tealing, north of Dundee. The new facility will consist of 52 lithium-ion batteries securely housed in steel containers and will be directly connected by an underground grid cable to the nearby Tealing substation.

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.

Last year, proposals for a battery storage facility that involved more than a dozen shipping containers being placed in croft land in the Highlands sparked anger from some local residents. Householders in the village of Clynelish, near Brora, warned the proposals would be “like having an industrial caravan park outside your house”. They also raised concerns over the risk of fire and claimed there would be a constant humming sound in the “peaceful” valley.

A public meeting held on the plans was attended by more than 90 people. Locals argued that the facility should be located on a brownfield site, closer to urban communities.

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.

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