Toftingall battery storage plant ‘ideally located’ claims developer
A battery storage plant approved by councillors despite fire safety concerns being raised is in the perfect place, according to the developer behind the plans.
The Toftingall scheme had originally been planned to include two wind turbines, but developer Boralex dropped those in October 2023 to focus on the 49.9MW battery element.
It will see 52 battery storage containers and 13 invertor units with two switchgear and control buildings as well as hardstanding, parking and a new access to the A9 as part of a 1.3-hectare compound.
Members of Highland Council’s North Planning Applications Committee had previously deferred a decision on the plans because it did not come with a fire risk management plan. They wanted to ensure that local fire service officers had capacity and resources to deal with any potential incident at the battery plant.
Now the development, near Spittal – where the number of proposed and existing substations, cable routes and other renewables developments has caused concern in the community – has been given the go-ahead.
The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will import and store electricity from the electricity network when there is a surplus of generation, and then export it again when there is a deficit.
Boralex said this balancing function reduces the amount of time that renewable generation needs to be curtailed and therefore reduces reliance on fossil fuels. The facility would also help make the electricity network more resilient to outages.
Project director Richard Frost said: “We are delighted to have been granted permission to build our Toftingall BESS scheme in Caithness. The project is ideally located not only close to renewable generation assets such as the Halsary Wind Farm, but also the Mybster substation which it will work alongside to help balance the grid.”
Construction of the development is expected to take around nine months, with the site having its batteries replaced every 10 to 15 years.
A £175,000 community benefit plan will be paid at £7000 per year over 25 years, the company’s website states.