Aukera Energy has been granted planning permission for a 45 MW solar farm with 40 MW of co-located battery storage (BESS).
The Loch Fergus project, jointly developed with Locogen, will be located near Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland and is expected to be operational in 2026. Aukera will build and operate the project, adding it to the company’s solar portfolio of more than 3 GW.
According to community project documents, the site will house around 100,000 solar cells, mounted three meters above the ground, allowing sheep to continue grazing on the site. The project will supply power directly to the nearby Ayr substation.
Richard Hillam, development director of Aukera UK 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 once again demonstrating the country’s desire to decarbonise rapidly.”
Stuart Hamilton, head of development at Locogen, commented: “We are delighted to have received planning permission for the Loch Fergus solar farm. Solar energy is one of the cheapest and most rapidly deployable forms of renewable energy and this project will make a significant contribution to the Scottish Government’s 2045 net zero target.”
Scottish BESS on the rise
This isn’t Locogen’s first planning win this year. In April, Renewco Power and Locogen announced that they had been granted full planning permission for another solar plus storage project in Scotland, this time located in Fife. The £50m Glenniston Solar Farm will include 39MW of solar capacity with 10MW of co-located BESS, and is expected to start construction in 2026.
Scotland has become something of a hub for BESS developments of late, with fellow developer Apatura gaining planning permission for a 100MW BESS near Dundee late last week. Apatura has also received consent for a 700MW BESS near Inverclyde, which will be Scotland’s largest standalone BESS when completed. This is the largest project for which Apatura has received approval for its 10GW pipeline.
Meanwhile, Kona Energy scored a huge win in September when the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit granted consent for its 228MW/456MWh Smeaton BESS in East Lothian. Despite local opposition, XRE Gamma and Scala Renewables Group were able to obtain a construction permit for their 49.9 MW project near Kintore.
Co-location has also proven popular; ScottishPower Renewables has recently been granted full planning permission for its Hollandmey Energy Project. Located just south of John o’ Groats, this development will combine ten wind turbines with a combined capacity of 50 MW, a 15 MW solar project and a 15 MW BESS.
