Scottish Borders to get a "world's first"

by EWAN LAMB

Tens of millions of pounds will be invested in a three-acre Berwickshire field as global efforts continue to counter electricity shortages and reduce carbon emissions via advanced technology.

A planning application was lodged with Scottish Borders Council on Thursday seeking permission for the so-called Eccles BESS [Battery Energy Storage System] alongside Scottish Power's electricity sub-station near the village of Eccles.

The Borders project is one of three to be constructed in Scotland. The other two are planned for Blackhillock, Kincardine, and Hunterston, Kilmarnock, and will involve a total investment of  £750 million or $892 million.

Each battery within the BESS stores generated electricity drawn from the National Grid, and will then regenerate the stored fuel when required for delivery back to the grid.

The Eccles project is designed to provide a 50 megawatt battery energy store system.

A design and access report accompanying the planning application to SBC claims the BESS is essential to enable transition to low carbon/renewable energy which tends to be intermittent and prone to fluctuation.

The facility is expected to have a construction period of 16 months. After it goes 'live' at the beginning of 2026 the Eccles system will be unmanned and controlled remotely.

According to international specialist firm Zenobe these will be "the first commercial contracts in the world to use transmission connected batteries to provide short circuit level and inertia".

Between them, the three Scottish storage systems are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 13 million tonnes during their 15-year operational lifespan.

The design report from SLR Consulting who are promoting the planning application says: "Electricity in the UK has historically been generated in large, centralised power plants. However, as the country transitions to a low carbon economy and strives towards net zero, these older technologies are increasingly being replaced by renewable energy such as wind turbines and solar farms. These technologies, whilst low carbon, are not dispatchable power sources."

The proposed development will support the flexible operation of the National Grid and decarbonisation of electricity supply. It would be on standby to provide services like reactive power and frequency response to National Grid, enhancing control and flexibility. 

"The battery can be fully discharged or can be operated intermittently for rapid deployment as and when required to keep the electricity network stable by balancing supply and demand. The battery will also enhance the capability of storing excess energy from wind generation at times when demand is low or wind is high – for instance at night and released at time of high demand and lower wind 

"The proposed development would import and export electricity but would not generate any additional electricity. The proposed batteries would store electricity that is generated by renewable sources, to be fed into the grid when required and would reduce fluctuations, thus improving stability and reducing the risk of power failures."