Highview Power has launched a 2500MWh long duration energy storage (LDES) project in Ayrshire, Scotland.
The project in Hunterston will deliver five times Scotland’s operational battery storage capacity and is strategically placed in the grid transmission network to maximise the use of Scottish-produced renewable electricity.
To launch the Hunterston scheme, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has met with Highview Power executives at Scotland House in London (pictured).
Hunterston is the first project in Highview Power’s second phase, which comprises four sites across Scotland and Northern England.
The 2.5GWh liquid air energy storage (LAES) scheme will deliver an eight-fold increase in storage capacity on Carrington.
“The creation of the largest liquid air energy facility in the world, in Ayrshire, demonstrates just how valuable Scotland is in delivering a low carbon future as well as supporting the global transition to net zero,” said John Swinney, following the meeting.
He added: “Scotland presents a unique environment for innovation and deployment of storage technologies and this ground-breaking project will bring hundreds of high skilled jobs to the region both during construction and afterwards in supporting the supply chain.”
Highview Power has already successfully secured the developing rights for Hunterston.
The plant will be built in two stages; the first will be the grid connection and works to provide grid stability services; the second phase will be a full LAES build-out and the planning process will now commence for the second phase.
The Hunterston project will support 1000 jobs onsite during construction and 650 jobs in the supply chain.
“We were delighted to meet the First Minister today, and thrilled to announce our next project in Hunterston, the first of four, which kick starts our multi-billion-pound LDES programme across the UK to unlock 10GWh of LDES,” said Highview Power chief executive Richard Butland.
Director of strategic energy planning and chief engineer at NESO Julian Leslie added: “Technology such as Highview Power’s LDES proposals will quite simply unlock the power of renewable energy in our energy system, stabilise our grid system, and allow for the delivery of a 100% zero carbon electricity system.
“In our Holistic Transition Pathway, we have identified a 81GWh requirement for LDES by 2030 to decarbonise the grid and this announcement paves the way to realise this goal.”
Highview Power’s programme of four will also include a project in Aberdeenshire, strategically positioned to support the onshoring of renewable energy resources from the North Sea and the critical need for grid stability at this location.