Green Switch Capital, part of the Qair Group, has announced it has secured planning permission for its first standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) project.
The Middleton Farm Energy Storage Facility will have a 49.9MW capacity and will be located on around 1.3 hectares of land at Middleton Farm, near Potterdown, Aberdeenshire. Following an extensive planning process in which Green Switch Capital was supported by Locogen, Aberdeenshire Council granted approval for the project on 1 July.
In order to reduce the visual impact of the development, the BESS units will be painted green to allow them to blend into the surrounding landscape. Furthermore, a significant amount of biodiversity enhancements will be completed on site, including tree and scrub planting to enhance habitats for local wildlife. The developer has not stated when it expects construction on the project to begin or when it expects the Middleton Farm BESS to be connected to the UK electricity grid.
Pete McLaren, head of Scottish development at Qair UK, said that the project is a “landmark moment for Qair UK” as the company works expand into standalone energy storage. He added: “Battery storage is critical to unlocking the full potential of renewables in the UK, and we’re proud to contribute to a more resilient and flexible energy system.”
While this is Qair UK’s first consented standalone battery energy storage project, the company has secured planning permission for over 140MW of solar PV power plants in the past 18 months. These include the Straws Hadley Solar Farm, a 49.9MWp solar PV power plant in Buckinghamshire for which planning permission was granted in December of last year.
Prior to this, September of 2024 saw another significant planning win, as the company secured planning consent for the Lark Hill Solar Farm. Planning permission for the 49.95MW development was granted by Rochford District Council, which will be situated on 66 hectares of land near Canewdon, Essex.
Qair UK acquired a significant majority share in Green Switch Capital in late August of last year. Green Switch Capital currently has a development pipeline of over 15GW, with its first projects expected to be commissioned in the year 2026. Qair has a global operational solar pipeline of over 450MW, with a specialism in agrivoltaics (agriPV), in which solar energy generation and agricultural activities, including sheep grazing and crop growing, are conducted on the same land.
