Renewable energy developer RES has submitted a planning application to the Scottish government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) for a 150MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
The 150MW Westport BESS will be located on land north of Killoch Colliery between the villages of Coalhall and Ochiltree, approximately 9km west of Cumnock in East Ayrshire. The duration of the system has not yet been disclosed.
RES said the BESS will connect to the national grid via the Colyton substation, approximately 2km southwest of the proposed site. The project site will cover 18.3 hectares of land.
According to the planning application, the Westport BESS will operate for 40 years, after which the BESS will be decommissioned. The construction phase is estimated to take between 21 and 24 months.
John Hills, development project manager for RES, highlighted that the BESS has been developed with a key focus on feedback from community consultation.
“We recognise the importance of addressing concerns about potential development impact, and a key focus of our discussions with the community has been effective landscaping and biodiversity enhancements,” Hills said.
“Whilst the natural terrain and existing planting already help limit the visibility of this critical infrastructure, we have developed a comprehensive landscaping plan to reduce visual impact further while delivering significant ecological benefits.
RES said the BESS will provide grid stability and balancing services, supporting the uptake of renewable energy generation technologies.
RES recently submitted a planning application for another 150MW BESS in Scotland last month. The Bishops Dal BESS project is proposed to be located between Leitholm and Birgham in the Scottish Borders region, on a site chosen for its proximity to the Eccles substation.
To date, RES has developed more than 830MW of energy storage projects in the UK and Ireland and currently manages over 600MW of operational storage projects. RES was responsible for the development, construction, and ongoing management of Scotland’s first utility-scale BESS, the 20MW Broxburn Energy Storage facility located in Broxburn, West Lothian, which was commissioned in 2018.
