Yahoo News Energy firm targets 10 acre Ayrshire site for battery storage system
A huge battery storage site, designed to support the National Grid network, could be coming to Ayrshire.
Ayrshire Live can reveal that green energy supplier Apatura Ltd has formally requested a screening opinion for a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a patch of agricultural land at MacNairston Farm, near Forehill, Coylton.
It’s the latest green energy proposal for the region and comes just weeks after South Ayrshire Council offered no objection to a contentious plan for a £50m solar farm on land near Loch Fergus, which lies 3.3km east of Ayr- and just under 1km west of Coylton.
Opponents of that scheme fear the possibility of lithium-ion fires releasing toxic clouds of gas.
They also warned that it could potentially wreck the local eco-system and become a danger to wildlife to the nearby Martnaham Loch, a designated SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
That application will be decided by the Scottish Government.
Lithium-ion batteries are “expected” to be used in this latest proposal, which is earmarKed for land just 1.17 km to the north of Martnaham Loch.
If approved, as many as 80 containers would be used to house the batteries, which are expected to store as much as 200 megawatts of energy, over a 10 acre site.
The proposed development would allow electricity from the national grid to be stored in batteries at times of low demand and then “exported back” to the grid at times of high demand.
It would then be linked to the Ayr substation, which is located approximately 1.85km to the northwest of the site. And the scheme will be connected to the substation via an underground cable, likely running alongside the existing road network.
The projected lifespan of the project is 40 years, according to the applicants, who have a registered office in Altrincham, Cheshire.
Also part of the wider proposals are the construction of a 2.4 m perimeter fence, infra-red (non-visible), 4m pole-mounted CCTV cameras, security lighting, landscaping and an access road.
The construction process is estimated to take around 12 to 18 months.
In their screening request, AAH Consultants, the agents in the proposals, said: “Battery storage facilities must be located within reasonable proximity to a grid connection point.
“Whilst located within the countryside, this site was selected due to its very close proximity to a viable grid connection at Ayr Substation just 1.4km to the north west, the fact that it is not visually prominent, and it is unlikely to result in any significant ecological or heritage impacts.
“The proposed development would allow electricity from the national grid to be stored in batteries at times of low demand and then exported back to the grid at times of high demand. This will assist in ensuring a resilient grid, providing a more reliable supply of energy to users.
“The development will fulfil a vital ‘balancing role’, helping to ensure that the grid remains stable at times of stress. It will also help support the decarbonisation of the grid by enabling the grid to accept a greater proportion of electricity generated from more intermittent renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar.”
In accordance with regulations, Scottish Ministers must consult the planning authority, in this case South Ayrshire Council, within whose land the proposed application is situated, as to their views on whether the proposed development requires an environmental impact assessment.
It is not clear at this stage as to when a decision on the proposals would be made.
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