Statkraft secures consent for next stage of Coylton Greener Grid Park

Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, has secured planning consent for an additional 100MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Coylton Greener Grid Park, in East Ayrshire.

The scheme is designed to deliver the flexibility needed to stabilise the grid and eliminate the need to run fossil fuel power plants. Batteries would charge at times when there is a surplus of renewable energy generation in Great Britain.

The 50MW first phase of the project, which is in its final stages of commissioning, will store energy in batteries, increasing the stability of the electricity grid, and allowing more renewable power to be transmitted through the network.  

The stability is provided by battery technology, with grid forming converters attached, which always stay in ‘grid-forming’ mode, meaning they inherently resist changes in voltage and frequency on the electricity grid. Meanwhile the batteries will store, import, and export energy which will facilitate the decarbonisation of Great Britain’s electricity supply.

Statkraft already operates two Greener Grid Parks; Keith in north-east Scotland, and Lister Drive, in Liverpool, with commissioning in its final stages at sites in Scotland and northern England, and construction underway on further projects in Norfolk and Wales.

Sarah Tullie, Statkraft’s Greener Grid Parks Project Manager said: "Securing consent to expand our pioneering Coylton Greener Grid Park scheme will bring significant benefits, by supporting a more flexible electricity network, and allowing the further expansion of renewables like wind and solar schemes.

“More home-grown power on Great Britain’s grid network will help achieve greater energy security, keeping bills stable for consumers and businesses, and reducing our reliance on expensive and volatile overseas gas supplies. We are delighted to have secured consent for this latest stage of the scheme.”