Green light for 228 MW battery storage near Scottish nuclear power station

The Scottish Government has greenlit a 228MW, 456 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) on an arable farm site near Edinburgh. Project developer Kona Energy is now seeking investors as it pursues an accelerated construction schedule for the Smeaton Battery Energy Storage System in Dalkeith, East Lothian.

Kona Energy told ESS News that it aims to speed up development for the project now that it has secured government consent. Smeaton Battery Energy Storage had already secured a 228 MW grid connection for summer 2028, however, company founder Andy Willis said the developer hopes to bring that date forward. “This will depend upon UK grid reform and modelling of battery storage on the energy system,” he said.

In Scotland, planning consent for energy-generating projects with a capacity exceeding 50 MW must be approved by the Scottish government. Kona Energy’s successful application to the government’s Energy Consent Unit details a BESS facility comprising around 100 energy storage containers.

The new BESS is expected to play a role in shoring up network stability in the region as the nearby Torness nuclear power station, which has a capacity of 1.2 GW, is scheduled for decommissioning in 2028. A 228 MW grid connection for the Smeaton BESS, effective from summer 2028, is recorded in the electricity network’s Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) Register.

Kona Energy is now seeking investors in the project and the company has recently appointed a new technical director. Lu Zhang joins from a similar role at Hithium Energy Storage.

In a statement, Andy Willis said the developer is eager to collaborate with investors and partners to deliver the project “on a rapid timescale.”

“[Smeaton Battery Energy Storage System’s] strategic location will give it a unique role to play in drastically slashing constraint costs and consumer bills – that was one of the key reasons why our development team was so enthusiastic about the project’s potential,” said Willis.