Construction of the Smeaton BESS project has been approved by the Scottish Government. The 228 MW, 456 MWh storage site will be located near Dalkeith, East Lothian.
The purpose of the facility, developed by Kona Energy, will be to store renewable energy to feed it into the grid, to meet demand. This storage method aims to tackle grid management, and issues arising from constraints on infrastructure.
The Electricity System Operator (ESO) and National Grid have been struggling with grid constraints, especially as wind power frequently produces more energy than the grid can hold. This results in climbing costs and limited production – which could rise as high as £3bn by 2029.
With the Torness nuclear power plant closing in 2028, the Smeaton BESS project will play a part in reducing costs by storing the excess energy and efficiently sending it to the grid when demand increases.
Looking for results
The Smeaton BESS project will be incorporated into a wider plan to streamline and optimise Scotland’s current energy infrastructure. This will reduce wasted energy and improve security.
The UK has demonstrated its concern with expanding its large-scale energy storage by including financial partners such as Opus Corporate Finance. Alongside experienced Technical Director Dr Lu Zhang, there is a hope that ROI can be maximised by improving grid efficiency and reducing consumer costs.
This demonstrates an interest in flexible infrastructures in the UK’s energy market, to which efficient energy storage can contribute. An efficient grid means stable prices for consumers, bypassing energy transmission limitations.
By investing in expanding the UK’s BESS infrastructure, both grid issues and the cost of renewable projects should improve.
