PLANS for a battery storage system to be built in South Lanarkshire have been approved by the local authority.
Planning consent for a new grid-scale 100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) was granted to Apatura, who specialise in renewable energy storage, by South Lanarkshire Council on Monday.
The proposed 5.5-acre site will be constructed half a mile outside East Kilbride and will be 150 metres south-east of the town’s substation on Cairnmuir Road.
When completed, the battery storage site will connect to the substation and collect, store and discharge renewably generated energy into the grid on demand.
The proposal consists of 16 battery container units along with the necessary infrastructure, including transformers and a substation building.
Developers said the site will be screened from all directions with native trees and shrubbery and will be operational for a period of 40 years, after which the land will be restored to its “original condition”.
In the decision notice granting planning permission, the local authority concluded that “there would be no significant long-term impacts on the environmental quality of the green belt”.
The decision notice added that the project would “make a contribution towards tackling climate change, mitigation and adaptation, and would be a positive response to the global climate emergency and nature crisis”.
Andrew Philpott, chief development officer at Apatura, said the battery plant will help Scotland reach its net zero targets.
He said, “Battery storage facilities like our planned development at East Kilbride underpin the ongoing expansion of the UK’s renewable energy generation capability.
“They make a significant contribution to enhancing UK grid security and grid stability and are integral to enabling our country to decarbonise its energy system and its economy and achieve its net zero targets.”
Philpott added: “Battery storage will also help to deliver stable energy prices, leading to reduced bills for households and businesses. It will contribute to greater energy security and independence for the UK in the future.”
The South Lanarkshire site is the ninth BESS development which Apatura has secured planning permission for in the last 16 months.
Philpott added the site will provide a boost to the local economy as it will provide jobs.
He said: “Construction of the project will provide a significant boost to the local East Kilbride economy.
“It will directly create jobs with the construction, operational, and decommissioning phases of the project, and also indirectly in the supply chain and related services.”
