North Lanarkshire Council has approved a 30MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which will be developed by Renewable Connections.
The city council made its decision during a committee meeting on August 14. The BESS site is on Burnbank Street in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, and the system will be connected to SP Energy Networks Coatbridge via a substation. The substation has been identified by the grid operator as a location that could benefit from a BESS.
The 30MW/60MWh lithium-ion system will occupy approximately one hectare of land and will be operational for up to 40 years, after which all installations will be removed.
According to solar and battery storage developer Renewable Connections, the BESS will optimize 100 MW of renewable energy projects in the UK. Phil Hale, chief operating officer at Renewable Connections, said the council’s decision was a “major step towards a net zero future”.
In 2019, North Lanarkshire Council declared a climate emergency and set a 2030 net zero target for the area. Renewable Connections organized a public consultation in May 2023 and received no objections from public or statutory consultations. It submitted its application to the council in January this year and construction is expected to start in 2026.
Hale added: “Burnbank BESS will support the council in achieving its low carbon targets by enabling homes and businesses to be powered by renewable energy sources. This technology also helps manage the peaks and troughs in energy demand, supporting a more stable and reliable national electricity grid, which is great news for everyone.”
According to National Grid, technologies such as battery storage systems that support the integration of low-carbon energy could save the UK energy system up to £40 billion by 2025.
This approval follows a successful application for a 22.5MW solar power plant in South Staffordshire. The developer also received approval for its first project in Scotland, a 25 MW solar energy storage facility and 20 MW battery, in March 2022.
Scotland to host floating solar energy
Renewable Connections was founded by London-based Armstrong Capital Management, a specialist in renewable energy investments. In 2021 it won £40,000 from the London Mayor’s Resilience Fund for a floating solar PV installation that would supply renewable energy to London City Airport.
Westmorland and Furness Council in Scotland recently received a letter from consultancy Green Cat Renewables, requesting screening advice on a 35-40 MW floating solar project.
Early development plans suggest the panels “will be mounted on floating pontoons attached at an optimal angle for the solar panels” and anchored to the base of the dock. The developers suggest that construction will require activities for a period of nine to 12 months “in the worst case scenario”, with minimal ongoing visits from maintenance staff after completion.
Late last year, Nova Innovation deployed Scotland’s first floating solar demonstration project in the Port of Leith, Scotland.
