They’re Going Big! Scotland Approves Four Energy Storage Projects in One Day

The Scottish government granted planning consent for four energy storage projects in a single day, including two with durations of 16 and 18 hours. The four projects have a combined power capacity of 1.4 GW.

Four Approvals in One Day

The Scottish government’s Energy Consents Unit granted planning consent for four BESS projects on September 7. Two of them had previously been selected for the UK’s cap-and-floor scheme, which provides revenue support for long-duration energy storage projects.

The cap-and-floor scheme, first announced in October 2024, is designed to reduce investment risk for long-duration energy storage projects in the UK. In the first selection round, 16 projects were chosen from a list of 77 applicants, including 11 BESS projects, three pumped-storage hydropower projects, one compressed-air energy storage project, and one vanadium flow battery project.

The cap-and-floor mechanism provides projects with a minimum revenue level while also setting a revenue cap, above which projects must return surplus earnings. A similar scheme for interconnector projects has already proved successful in supporting the expansion of the UK’s transmission capacity.

Two LDES Projects from Field Energy

Both newly approved LDES projects are being developed by Field Energy in northern Scotland. The Fyrish BESS, with a capacity of 200 MW and located near Alness in the Highlands, was listed in the LDES cap-and-floor decision issued earlier in 2026 as a project with a 16.5-hour duration.

The New Deer BESS, a 400 MW project in Aberdeenshire, was announced with a duration of 18.03 hours.

Two More Large BESS Projects

The LDES projects were not the only major BESS applications approved by the Energy Consents Unit. Scottish officials also approved:

• the Spittal BESS, a 300 MW project near Caithness being developed by Field Energy,
• the Abbotshaugh BESS, a 500 MW project also located in the New Deer area of Aberdeenshire and being developed by Island Green Power.

The energy storage capacity of the Abbotshaugh BESS has not been explicitly stated, although planning documents indicate that the project will comprise 246 battery containers. The project will connect to the 400 kV New Deer 2 substation, according to the UK Transmission Entry Capacity register. Field Energy’s New Deer 2 project will also connect to the same substation.

Approval Streak Continues

The wave of approvals on September 7 followed the earlier success of the Muttonhole Road BESS, a 500 MW project in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, which received planning consent on August 17. The project site is located around 20 km from the 539 MW Whitelee Wind Farm — the largest onshore wind farm in the UK.

Other recent planning approvals include a 50 MW solar PV project with a 40 MW energy storage system in Kintore, Aberdeenshire, approved on September 4.

Investors React

Bob Psaradellis, CEO of Island Green Power, celebrated the approval of the 500 MW / 2 GWh Abbotshaugh BESS project and thanked ministers and the Energy Consents Unit for their support.

He said that Nick Bowen had done an excellent job, together with the entire internal and external team that had brought the project to this stage. He also expressed gratitude for the support of Scottish ministers, the ECU, and everyone involved in the process.

Bowen, Project Development Manager at Island Green Power, said the company would continue working closely with the local community and project partners as the development moves into its next phase.

Construction is expected to take around 18–24 months, with grid connection currently targeted for 2033 — although this date may change depending on the necessary approvals.