Projects

Nationally Significant BESS in Scotland

Our role

• We were appointed as lead consultant to prepare and submit an application for Section 36 consent (Electricity Act 1989) for a 500MW BESS in Ayr.
• Our role has involved liaison with the Energy Consent Unit / LPA, political and stakeholder engagement, calculation of the GHG emission savings and the beneficial economic impact.
• Our Strategic Communications team supported the client during the consultation process as part of the Section 36 consent process, positioning the project as critical in Scotland’s ambition to meet their goal of decarbonising their energy systems by 2030 and beyond.
• We facilitated a holistic and inclusive approach to the scheme design, ensuring that the landscape and visual impacts of the project and effects to buried archaeology were minimised, whilst also ensuring the scale of the client’s ambitions was realised.
• The sensitive design process enabled us to successfully demonstrate that the completion of an Environmental Impact Assessment was not needed.

Results

• The proposed development will be a 500 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) of national significance.
• It is one of the largest developments of its kind in the UK and will help ensure that the utilisation of electricity generated from renewable sources is maximised, assisting the transition to a low carbon economy.
• The project will support Scotland’s ambition of delivering 0.9GW of Battery Energy Storage by 2030, providing more than 50% with one single project.
• The permission is framed around a series of development parameters which provide the client with considerable flexibility for the detailed design and equipment procurement process.
• New Energy Partnership has committed to working with South Ayrshire Council and other stakeholders to ensure that the construction phase maximises the benefit to the local economy.
• Section 36 Consent with Deemed Planning Permission was granted in April 2025.