A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – in a rural setting between Bathgate and Armadale in West Lothian – has been given the go-ahead.
West Lothian Council’s Development Management Committee has agreed to allow Galileo Empower to press on with its renewable energy project, the company’s first BESS consent in Scotland.
The company is currently one of Scotland’s most active onshore wind farm developers with projects at Glenskinnan, including Corr Chnoc in Argyll and Bute, Craighead in Perth and Kinross, and Crosbie in Ayrshire.
Diarmuid Twomey, the CEO, set up Empower Renewables in 2015 which has developed and sold over 900MWs of wind farm assets across Europe. He is a former director of Airtricity SSE. He was the founder of Galileo Empower in 2020. The company, with 87 staff, has offices in eight locations across Europe, including Edinburgh.
The site for the proposed battery storage facility, with a capacity of 49.9MW (megawatts), is located at Middlerigg Farm on land adjacent to the A801, northwest of Bathgate Substation.
Laura Petrie, Galileo Empower’s project manager, said: “We are delighted to have received unanimous consent for a battery storage facility at Middlerigg, our first consent in Scotland, which followed extensive engagement with local communities.
“Infrastructure such as this has a vital part to play as we move away from polluting fossil fuels to clean, green, renewable energy, playing a critical role in tackling climate change and supporting Scotland to achieve its net-zero target.
“We are confident that this project will bring considerable economic and environmental benefits to West Lothian. In addition to a community benefit fund, the development will also deliver considerable investment, creating jobs and boosting the skills of our current and future workforce.”
BESS is an advanced technology which supports the transition away from fossil fuels to clean, green, renewable electricity. The intermittent nature of wind farms means that storage is essential to allow energy to be realised when there is customer demand.
The completed facility will store surplus electricity in rechargeable batteries when demand is low and release it back into the electricity grid when demand is high, helping to balance the network and maximise the use of renewable energy.
Galileo Empower, founded in 2020, says it is committed to ensuring that local people benefit from the positive economic and social value of the project. A community benefit fund will focus on health and physical activity, training and education.
The company is also behind proposals for Lynemore Wind Farm, and have applied for Scottish Government’s consent. The proposed site is on land at Lynemore, approximately 2km Southwest of the A9 at Moy. The application is for 14 wind turbines, delivering 98 MW—enough to power more than 70,000 homes annually.
The project includes a proposed Community Wealth Fund, with 10 per cent local community ownership share.
Galileo Empower’s planning for the Crosbie Windfarm in Ayrshire is out for consultation. The proposals are for a 98MW wind farm, along with complimentary battery storage facility, incorporating 14 turbines, on a 1,033-hectare site between Dalry, Fairlie and West Kilbride.
