Apatura secures planning permission for BESS in Scotland

The project will be built 0.5 km north-east of Kilwinning on eight acres of land located east of Old Glasgow Road. When completed, it will join the growing cluster of BESS developments in the region that is helping to strengthen Scotland and the UK’s energy resilience and accelerate the shift to renewable power.

The Kilwinning development is the tenth BESS project that Apatura has received planning consent for in the last 17 months and brings the company’s total consented BESS portfolio to more than 1.6 GW.

The planning application received no public objections during the consultation period. The letter from the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit granting consent stated that “Scottish Ministers consider the proposed Development will support the resilience of the electricity network through the electricity it generates and the additional technical services it can provide to the electricity system operator...once operational, the project will provide essential flexibility to the grid, storing excess renewable energy for use when it’s needed most.”

The Kilwinning project is also expected to generate direct employment during the construction and operation phases, including indirect job creation in the supply chain and other related services.

Once built and commissioned, the project will contribute to the Scottish government’s goal of generating 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption from renewable sources and to have delivered a net-zero energy system by 2045.

Andrew Philpott, Chief Development Officer at Apatura, said: “BESS sites like the Kilwinning development are integral for enabling Scotland and the UK to achieve their net-zero targets. Not only does battery storage help manage our renewable energy supply and demand, it also helps bolster the stability of our national grid and boost local economies as well.

“It’s encouraging to see projects like Kilwinning getting approval at such a rapid pace. Battery storage will play a major role in Scotland and the UK’s transition to renewable energy system and a low carbon economy. We welcome this decision from the Scottish government’s Energy Consents Unit and North Ayrshire Council to give this project the green light.”

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