A roundup of news from the UK BESS market, with developers ILI, Aukera, and Apatura having projects achieve planning permission, along with IPP Lightsource bp and a data centre in Wales, from the pages of our sister site Solar Power Portal.
Scottish ministers approve 200MW battery storage project
Developer Intelligent Land Investments (ILI) Group has received planning consent for a 200MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
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The BESS will be adjacent to the Easterhouse substation near Gartcosh, Glasgow, at Whitehill Farm. ILI Group received Section 36 planning consent, meaning that the BESS is classed as a change to the existing consent granted to the generating substation.
Consent from Ministers follows support for the project from both the Glasgow City Council and North Lanarkshire Council.
CEO of ILI Group, Mark Wilson, said: “This project will provide essential grid balancing services and help maximise the potential of our renewable energy resources.
“The recent decision by Scottish Ministers validates the crucial role that battery storage will play in our energy transition. As Scotland continues to increase its renewable energy capacity, projects like Whitehill BESS are essential for providing the flexibility and resilience necessary to maintain secure and reliable energy supplies.”
ILI Group has a portfolio of over 4.7GW energy storage projects, including 2.5GW of utility-scale battery storage and 2.5GW pumped storage hydro.
Aukera Energy secures consent for 85MW solar plus storage development
Aukera Energy has been granted planning consent for a 45MW solar farm with 40MW of co-located BESS.
The Loch Fergus scheme, jointly developed with Locogen, will be located near Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland, and is expected to be operational 2026. Aukera will build and operate the project, adding it to the firm’s solar portfolio of over 3GW.
According to community project documents, the site will host around 100,000 solar cells, mounted three meters off the ground to enable sheep grazing to continue on the site. The project will supply power directly into the nearby Ayr substation.
Richard Hillam, Aukera UK’s development director said: “This is a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in this project and a continuation of our successful partnership with Locogen”. Hillam added: “Scotland’s central and local governments are yet again demonstrating the country’s desire to rapidly decarbonise”.
Apatura scores planning consent for Scottish 100MW battery storage
Renewable energy storage firm Apatura has secured planning permission to build and operate a 100MW BESS near Dundee in Scotland.
Scottish ministers approved the scheme, which will consist of 52 lithium-ion batteries in steel containers directly connected by underground cable to the nearby Tealing substation. Notably, the local authority Angus Council lodged no objections to the proposed development.
The council noted: “The development would contribute towards meeting government energy targets and generally complies with the relevant policies of the Angus Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework 4 [for the development and use of land].”
The 2.5 hectare site, 7.5km north of Dundee and 1.8km south-west of the village of Tealing, is located in open countryside and development will include new native species tree and wildflower planting to deliver a biodiversity net gain at the site.
Lightsource bp secures planning permission for 57MW standalone BESS
Lightsource bp has announced that it has been granted full planning permission for its first UK standalone battery energy storage system (BESS).
The Pentir Energy Storage project, to be located near Bangor in Wales, will have a 57MW/228MWh capacity, with a planned 40-year operational lifespan. The project will connect directly to the local grid via the nearby Pentir substation. Lightsource bp has not yet stated when they expect construction to begin or a proposed connection date.
As part of the development, a £50,000 community benefit fund for the local parish councils in the area will be established, as well as a £45,000 fund to support solar and battery installations, plus boiler improvements for the local mountain rescue service, Ogwen Valley Mountain Organisation.
Declan Keiley, head of business development for UK & Ireland at Lightsource bp, says: “This project is the first in Lightsource bp’s extensive UK energy storage pipeline, and demonstrates the company’s commitment to accelerating the energy transition, not just by generating renewable electricity but also by contributing to deeper penetration of renewables, and better grid balancing.”
Cardiff City Council unanimously approves 1GW BESS
A 1,000MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to be constructed alongside a data centre in Splott, Cardiff, has been unanimously approved by the city council.
It is purportedly the largest BESS to successfully secure planning permission so far in the UK.
The planning application was submitted in March this year for a 16.42 hectare area of land in the Tremorfa industrial area that formerly housed the steelworks and sewage treatment facilities.
The project, which had been recommended for approval, will comprise 828 high-efficiency containerised battery storage units with a substation central to the park. The facility will incorporate tree-planting and lower screen planting.
According to planning documents, the BESS will store renewable energy from the National Grid network and the data centre that will also be at the site aims to be carbon neutral, through on-site renewable energy generation and importing green energy.
See the original versions of all five articles below:
Scottish ministers approve 200MW battery storage project
Aukera Energy secures consent for 85MW solar plus storage development
Apatura scores planning consent for Scottish 100MW battery storage
Lightsource bp secures planning permission for 57MW standalone BESS
