Battery storage site approved

PLANS for a battery storage facility near Milton Farm, Beattock, have been granted conditional approval by Dumfries and Galloway Council. Clean energy company Renewco Power want to create a 49.9MW facility including a substation and control building, two meter high security fence, 44 battery storage units, 11 transformer units, access track, parking and associated works. Speaking at a meeting of Moffat and District Community Council last year, Renewco said the facility will provide a renewable source of dispatchable power, on demand, replacing fossil fuel sources. And a single full charge could provide sufficient energy to power around 20,000 homes for a day. They hoped it could be fully operational by 2027 if Dumfries and Galloway Council were to give plans the go ahead. Speaking at that meeting, senior developer William Black said: “One of the key concepts of battery storage is that you can actually charge or take energy from the grid, where were generating electricity from wind or solar, and it can store that. It can then be used to release the energy locally when its required.” A number of conditions have been attached to the formal notice of approval.