New Life for Former Nuclear Sites: Revera to Build 800 MWh Energy Storage Facility Next to a Former Nuclear Power Plant

Backed by global investment firm Carlyle, developer Revera Energy has taken a final investment decision (FID) to build a large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) with a power capacity of 400 MW and an energy capacity of 800 MWh in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026. The facility will be located just 1.5 kilometers from the permanently decommissioned Hunterston A and Hunterston B nuclear power stations.

Utilizing Grid Infrastructure from Former Nuclear Power Plants

The Hunterston project is one of three major energy storage facilities being developed by Revera Energy in Scotland, with a combined capacity of 1 GW / 2 GWh. In February 2026, the developer secured financing for the Windyhill project in Glasgow (200 MW / 400 MWh), where construction is already underway. Construction of the Kincardine project in Fife (400 MW / 800 MWh) is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.

Together, the three planned BESS projects represent more than £500 million (approximately $671 million) in investment in Scotland’s energy storage sector. According to the developer, all facilities will be connected directly to the UK transmission network, as confirmed by the capacity register maintained by the National Energy System Operator (NESO). Revera Energy also reports that a 400 kV substation is already under construction at the future Hunterston site.

The location of the Hunterston battery storage facility, adjacent to the former 1.2 GW Hunterston B nuclear power station—which ceased generation in 2022—and close to the Hunterston A plant, which has been in the decommissioning process since 1990, is no coincidence. Revera Energy notes that this strategic positioning will enable the project to provide congestion management services and support the stability of the wider electricity transmission network.

This is not the only project of its kind in Scotland. In 2024, Kona Energy received planning approval for a battery storage facility near the Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian, which is scheduled to close in 2028.

Boost for the Economy and Government Support

The investment by Carlyle, carried out through Revera Energy—a company established in May 2025 after acquiring part of Amp Energy’s project portfolio—is expected to create approximately 550 direct jobs during construction and 45 permanent operational positions.

The project has received official backing from Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, who described it as a vote of confidence in the country’s economic policies and energy future. He emphasized that the portfolio under development is among the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and demonstrates Scotland’s international competitiveness in attracting investment for clean energy infrastructure.