Denmark-based private investor CIP has taken a final investment decision (FID) and begun construction on a 500MW/one gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS project, Coalburn 1, in Coalburn, Scotland.
The project is being developed by CIP in partnership with UK-based energy storage developer Alcemi and will be one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
The project will occupy 15.8ha of land and is located east of Coalburn within the administrative boundary of South Lanarkshire Council.
It will reduce the requirement for fossil fuel-based power generation during times of peak demand.
This will reduce carbon dioxide emissions while offering balancing services to bring down costs for consumers.
Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE will provide its SolBank energy storage solution for the project.
Irish contractor H&MV Engineering will carry out the balance of plant works and SSE Energy Markets will offer optimisation services.
Coalburn 1 has been developed with extensive landscaping and ecological mitigation measures including the maintenance of peat reserves and the planting of trees, wildflowers and new habitats.
CIP partner Nischal Agarwal stated: “Achieving FID on one of the largest battery projects in Europe is a significant milestone for CIP. It demonstrates CIP’s industrial approach in identifying a market need and delivering a large-scale project with a robust contractual framework with high-quality partners and counterparties.
“The integration of renewable energy into the energy system requires significant investment into storage solutions and we have a significant pipeline of storage projects across the world, which we hope to build in the years ahead.”
CIP and Alcemi are developing the project as part of a partnership agreement signed in March 2022.
The two companies have agreed to develop, build and operate a 4GW portfolio of BESS projects across the UK.
CIP also plans to take FIDs on two further projects with a total capacity of more than 1GW in 2024.
The portfolio will facilitate the UK’s 2050 goal for net-zero transition.
In November 2023, CIP began construction of the 495MW Buffalo Plains wind farm in Alberta, Canada.
