Balnacraig Energy Storage Project

LIVE MEETING
5th July 2022
3pm-7pm
Ardross Community Hall

ONLINE EVENT
12th July 2022
3pm-7pm

We are looking to engage with the local community and as part of our pre-application consultation we are holding a live event on the 5th of July 2022 3pm-7pm at the Ardross Community Hall and an online event at this website. These will enable people to find out more about the proposal and to provide us with their views.

Comments and feedback should be made by the 26th of July 2022. Please use the form below or write to Grieg Templeton, Planning Project Manager via email: gt@ili-energy.com or by post to ILI Group, 33 Bothwell Road, Hamilton ML3 OAS.

Comments made to ILI Group are not formal representations to The Highland Council. If we submit a planning application there will be an opportunity to make formal representations on the application to The Highland Council.
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What is the project

  • 49.9MW Energy Storage facility containerised Battery Storage
  • The development would consist of containers containing batteries and associated equipment, an access track, electricity, meter building and fencing
  • Stores excess energy from the grid
  • Puts electricity back into the grid when required
  • This helps balance the supply and demand for the grid

Who are ILI Group?

  • Energy Storage Development Company
  • Based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire
  • Started in 2017
  • Bringing 3GW of Energy Storage to Scotland
  • Developing 3 Pumped Storage Hydro Projects 450MW +
  • 1GW of Battery Storage

Why is it needed?

  • Scotland has a Target of Net Zero by 2045
  • Renewable energy is intermittent, This means we can’t rely on it to meet demand
  • Fossil fuel generators coal gas and nuclear make up the difference
  • As these go off line we need to be able to meet that demand
  • Energy storage lets us store renewable energy for when it is needed
  • National Grid ESO have estimated we need up to 37GW of energy storage by 2050
  • The Scottish Energy Strategy, published 2018, supports new energy storage capacity. It states that the Scottish Government will continue to support innovation and deployment in storage and to work to accelerate its penetration across Scotland.

Why in this Location?

  • There is available capacity at the Grid Supply Point
  • Across Scotland there are very few Grid Locations that can accept this level of power.

Location Plan

  • The site lies close to the Alness National Grid substation on grazing land, part of Mid Balnacraig, around 1km north of Alness.
    The closest houses are at Mid Balnacraig around 300m to the north and upper Balnacraig at around 500m.

Site Layout Option 1

  • Energy Storage Units
  • Store Units
  • Converters and Transformer
  • New Planting (native broadleaves (trees and shrubs)
  • Track
  • Substation Enclosure
  • Final layout subject to change

Site Layout Option 2

  • Energy Storage Units
  • Store Units
  • Converters and Transformer
  • New Planting (native broadleaves (trees and shrubs)
  • Track
  • Substation Enclosure
  • Final layout subject to change

Energy Storage Units

  • Batteries, inverters, transformers and control equipment will be housed in steel containers of 13 metres by 2.5 metres by 2.6 metres high.
  • Solid state lithium batteries. would be used, as successfully employed on many other sites in the UK and worldwide.

Substation

  • A small site substation is proposed to house Scottish Hydro switchgear, site switchgear, electricity metering and control equipment and health & safety equipment.
  • This would be a prefabricated GRP building up to 10 metres by 6 metres by 3.2 metres high.

Converters & Transfomers

  • 13 transformers and converters are placed between the energy storage units
  • The power converters are around 1.6 by 1.4 metres, by 2.6 metres tall, and transformers are around 2.7 by 2.5 metres, by 2.8 metres tall.
  • The final equipment and size may vary slightly from that shown.

PAN Questionnaire

Balnacraig Energy Storage Project