West Saval Energy Storage Project

NEXT PUBLIC MEETING
30th of July 2024
Lairg Community Centre
3pm-7pm

We are engaging with the local community as part of our pre-application consultation by holding public meetings. These will take place in person at the Lairg Community Centre and online, allowing people to learn more about the proposal and provide feedback. 
Comments and feedback can be submitted via the online form below, or by contacting Greig Templeton, Planning Manager, via email at gt@ili-energy.com, or by post to West Saval Battery Storage Ltd, 33 Bothwell Road, Hamilton ML3 0AS.
Please note that comments made to us are not formal representations to the Scottish Government. If we submit an application for consent, there will be an opportunity to make formal representations to the Scottish Government.

What is the project

  • 200MW 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 4.7GW of Energy Storage to Scotland
  • Developing 3 Pumped Storage Hydro Projects 450MW +
  • 2.2 GW 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 50GW 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

  • Beside recently built Dalchork Grid Substation Around 800m NW of Saval and around 2km north of Lairg

Site Layout

  • 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.
  • lithium batteries would be used, as successfully employed on many other sites in the UK and worldwide.

Substation

  • Buildings are proposed to house switchgear, electricity metering and control and health & safety equipment. These would be up to 13 metres by 6 metres by 4 metres high.

Converters & Transfomers

  • 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.

Traffic

Construction traffic would be carefully managed including in the timing, routing, considerate driving. notification of residents, and a local contact available. Construction traffic impact will be temporary and in use traffic associated with the facility is expected to be low.

Online meeting recording from 24th of October 2023

PAN Questionnaire

West Saval Energy Storage Feedback