a series of bess units under a blue sky
The project will be Lightsource bp’s first standalone UK BESS. Image: Lightsource bp

Lightsource bp has announced that it has been granted full planning permission for its first UK standalone battery energy storage system (BESS).

The Pentir Energy Storage project, to be located near Bangor in Wales, will have a 57MW/228MWh capacity, with a planned 40-year operational lifespan. The project will connect directly to the local grid via the nearby Pentir substation. Lightsource bp has not yet stated when they expect construction to begin or a proposed connection date.

As part of the development, a £50,000 community benefit fund for the local parish councils in the area will be established, as well as a £45,000 fund to support solar and battery installations, plus boiler improvements for the local mountain rescue service, Ogwen Valley Mountain Organisation.

Declan Keiley, head of business development for UK & Ireland at Lightsource bp, says: “This project is the first in Lightsource bp’s extensive UK energy storage pipeline, and demonstrates the company’s commitment to accelerating the energy transition, not just by generating renewable electricity but also by contributing to deeper penetration of renewables, and better grid balancing.”

Welsh BESS ambitions on the rise

Wales has seen with a slew of new BESS developments entering planning or beginning construction.

Most notable of these is last week’s announcement that a 1GW BESS was unanimously approved by the planning board of Cardiff City Council. The BESS, set to be constructed alongside a data centre in Splott, Cardiff, is the largest BESS to secure planning permission in the UK to date. The 828 battery units to be installed onsite form part of the Latos Data Centre’s larger sustainability plans; the data centre aims to achieve carbon neutrality through onsite power generation and imports of green energy.

On the Isle of Anglesey, developer BOOM Power successfully landed planning permission for the Carrog BESS, a 300MW/660MWh, two-hour duration project. BOOM Power have not yet indicated when construction on the 38.7 acre project site, which will house 158 BESS units, is set to begin.

One of the UK’s largest BESS projects, also located in Wales, recently began construction. The 230MW/460MWh Uskmouth BESS project, which is jointly owned by E.ON and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, broke ground in July of this year, with construction expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2025.

At the other end of the process, RWE has moved forward with its plans for a 350MW BESS in Pembrokeshire, having closed a pre-application consultation period on 15 July. If planning permission is approved for this project, 212 battery containers and 106 power conversion systems will be installed on 5.1 acres of land next to RWE’s Pembroke Power Station.