Plans for a significant 300MW battery storage facility in Caithness have been submitted to the Scottish Government. SAE has revealed its intention to establish a battery energy storage system (BESS) half a kilometre south of Mey, on a 10.7-hectare site adjacent to the approved 132kV Gills Bay substation.
The proposed battery storage site would be strategically located between the Gills Bay substation to the southeast and a conifer plantation woodland to the northwest. The facility would extend north and east beyond the woodland, reaching up to the roadside that borders the tree plantation. To mitigate visual impact, new planting is planned along the northern and northeastern boundaries, shielding the site from the nearby A836 and Mey.
This project is linked to SAE’s MeyGen tidal initiative, situated 5.5km northeast of the battery plant. SAE has secured all necessary land rights and 287MW of import and export grid capacity, facilitating the construction of the BESS. The grid capacity will be divided between the Mey BESS and the MeyGen tidal array, with 207MW dedicated to the BESS and 80MW allocated for the MeyGen tidal stream project’s expansion.
The consent application for the battery storage plant is sized at 300MW to allow for future growth from 207MW to 300MW, contingent on subsequent grid applications. The grid connection and infrastructure are prepared for construction, with completion anticipated by April 2027. Initially, the Mey BESS will employ two-hour duration batteries, providing an output capacity of 414MWh. The site layout, as detailed in the planning application, allows for expansion to four-hour duration batteries, reaching up to 300MW/1.2GWh.
In a supporting statement, MeyGen emphasized the importance of the battery plant in enhancing the resilience of the electrical grid. “Scottish and UK energy policy necessitates the delivery of energy storage, recognizing it as crucial for balancing a national electricity grid reliant on intermittent renewable energy sources,” the statement said. “Without such infrastructure, the imbalance of supply and demand could severely undermine net zero efforts and jeopardize electricity supply security.”
The statement also highlighted the government’s acknowledgment of the significance of electricity storage developments exceeding 50MW in contributing to the low carbon transition. It underscored the national importance of the proposed development and its alignment with the Scottish Government’s broader policy goals.
The development rights for the project are held by Mey Energy Storage Limited, which is 84 percent owned by SAE and 16 percent by Scottish Enterprise. More information, including a copy of the application and details about the proposals and planned layout, is available for public inspection at Wick Library and on SAE’s dedicated project page at www.saerenewables.com/mey-BESS.
SAE Renewables Limited (LON:SAE) was founded in 2005 as a supplier of tidal stream turbines, SAE quickly grew to include development of tidal stream projects and is the majority owner of MeyGen, the world’s largest tidal stream energy project.
