Renewable energy company RES has received council approval for a 49.9 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to be developed in Moray, Scotland.
Located on land adjacent to the Berryburn substation and existing transmission infrastructure, the proposed Corshellach Energy Storage System received approval for its development from the Moray Council Planning and Regulatory Services Committee. RES applied for the building permit in mid-July.
The BESS will provide network reliability services by storing energy when generation exceeds demand and then releasing it back into the network when demand exceeds generation. The duration of the BESS has not been disclosed.
The location of the project also means that little additional infrastructure is required to connect it to the electricity grid, limiting potential environmental impacts. The construction phase of the project will last approximately twelve months and RES will employ local contractors and workers.
Commenting on the approval, Renewables Development Project Manager Mile Amsbury-Savage highlighted the urgency of deploying energy storage to help stabilize the electricity grid and support the targets of the UK Government’s recently released Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
“BESS will be vital in supporting Scotland’s net zero emissions target. Just days after the UK Government unveiled its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, we are pleased to welcome Moray Council’s positive decision allowing the Corshellach Battery Energy Storage System to play a role in managing increasingly complex demand and supply needs,” said Amsbury-Savage. .
RES has developed over 830 MW of energy storage projects in Great Britain and Ireland and currently manages over 600 MW of operational storage projects.
As reported by Solar energy portal yesterday (December 17) the organization secured an asset management contract for a 70MW solar-plus-storage project near Bristol.
RES already provides operation and maintenance services to the solar power plant and has been the asset manager for about a year. It will now also manage the BESS to monitor operational performance.
In contrast to Moray Council’s acceptance of the BESS development, earlier this year RES saw Torridge District Council reject a planning application for the proposed 49.9MW Stoneworthy Energy Storage project in Devon.
RES was not the only renewable energy developer to face planning problems. Low Carbon was previously refused planning permission for a 30MW solar PV installation by Wiltshire Council, with objectors citing concerns about potential damage to local waterways and the location of 50% of the project on prime and most versatile agricultural land.
