RESIDENTS in Beattock and Moffat were this week invited to attend the first of two consultation events about a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) at Barnhill Lane.
Plans for a 500 megawatt BESS unit are being put forward by energy provider Conrad Energy. The prosed 16 acre site for development is located one kilometre north of the existing Moffat Substation and approximately one kilometre east of Beattock.
Although Conrad Energy have not yet submitted their plans to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consensus Unit (ECU), they are hopeful their application will be successful, stating on their website: “Connecting to the available grid capacity at Moffat 400 kilovolts substation, it would provide cost-effective, flexible energy during peak electricity periods or times of system stress. Batteries also provide frequency services that help stabilise the grid network. As demand for clean electricity grows, battery storage projects like this one are vital in providing flexibility to the grid.
“Our planning application will be made to the Energy Consents Unit at Scottish Government and we are hopeful that they will support it. The proposed BESS can work in conjunction with existing local renewables, ensuring that the area has power when the wind doesn’t blow, by storing it when existing turbines are generating more than is needed.”
Community councillors from Beattock and Moffat, as well as a number of residents, attended Wednesday’s consultation event at Beattock Village Hall, but were left feeling underwhelmed.
Offering his own opinion, Moffat resident Mick Barker said: “There was very little publicity of this consultation event by Conrad Energy, until it had been shared online. And the number of neighbour consultees is also very low. “Secondly, those that were there from Conrad couldn’t offer any justification for the choosing of the location other than its proximity to the substation, the cost of cabling to connect it up and presumably, landowner agreement in place to lease or sell their land.
“Thirdly, no scheme was in place or suggested to offer compensation for the disruption to the community during the build programme other than saying it’s ‘to be discussed’, and the same goes for any community benefit scheme.
“It wasn’t a very impressive start to Conrad Energy’s relationship with the community, irrespective of community views that will emerge for or against the development.”
And he urged anyone with their own views about the development to get in touch with their community council.
Another consultation event will be taking place on Wednesday May 7 at Beattock Village Hall from 3-7 pm.
