A second battery energy storage site – described as “the largest in Europe” – is to be created beside an under-construction facility in South Lanarkshire.
First Minister John Swinney visited the site at Coalburn as investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) announced plans for the 500 megawatt Coalburn 2 site, located across the M74 from their existing battery park on a former opencast coal mine.
Developers say the two sections, combined with another new project in Fife, “will have total power capacity of 1.5GW and will be able to store and supply the grid with a total of three gigawatt hours of electricity – equivalent to the electricity demand of over 4.5 million households, across a two-hour period”.
Mr Swinney and acting energy minister Gillian Martin visited the Coalburn 2 site as CIP announced that construction will begin both in Lanarkshire and at their Devilla site in Fife in an £800 million investment.
The First Minister welcomed the news and called it “a significant contribution to the growth of Scotland’s energy transition infrastructure”, saying: “By helping to supply reliable and secure power, well-located storage systems such as batteries and pumped hydro can move us closer to net zero and directly support the communities around them.”
Work at Coalburn 1 began a year ago, with the site due to be connected to the electricity grid in October. The sites will store excess power generated by windfarms for use in the energy grid.
Representatives of the developer welcomed the two politicians to highlight ongoing construction work on the new phase, noting that the two new projects will make CIP “the largest battery storage investor in the United Kingdom”.
Company partner Nischal Agarwal said: “CIP’s latest investments in Scottish battery energy storage will support the UK’s pursuit of a clean power system by 2030 and delivering a net zero carbon economy by 2050.
“Battery storage which is well located, like our Coalburn and Devilla projects, enhances energy security, provides the grid with much-needed flexibility and enables low cost renewables to be deployed faster.”
Mr Swinney said: “This is an essential component of our journey to net zero. It’s an essential component of creating resilience within our networks. The fact that Scotland has been able to attract such a formidable investment demonstrates that Scotland is open for investment and open for business.”
He said ahead of the visit that the Scottish Government budget includes plans to “deliver a green reindustrialisation of our economy and attract investment in industries that will power our economic future”, adding: “This is an exciting time for investment in Scotland in a range of key sectors and I look forward to celebrating a significant new investment in our energy transition infrastructure, and making the most of our economic and energy potential to benefit generations to come.”
Ms Martin acknowledged some communities near potential battery storage sites have voiced concerns about their proximity to houses, and told the Press Association: “There are very robust safety guidelines associated with battery storage, so people don’t need to worry about that aspect of things.”
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