About the Project

RES is exploring the potential for an energy storage project on land adjacent to the Alness substation, approximately 1.5km north-west of Alness.

The energy storage project is expected to cover a total area of 2 to 3 hectares and have a capacity of 49.9MW.

The site lies outside of any international, national or local environmental designations and there are no nationally important heritage designations in the immediate vicinity.

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Infrastructure and Layout

The plan to the right shows the preliminary layout for the 49.9MW Contullich Energy Storage project. We are currently consulting on this layout and as such it is subject to change.

The proposed system is a containerised scheme, involving proven lithium ion battery technology which RES has deployed at multiple projects around the world.

The infrastructure would include:

• Battery enclosures
• Power Conversion Systems and Transformers
• Customer Substation
• Auxiliary Transformer
• Grid Compliance Equipment
• Grid Connection Infrastructure
• Security System
• Drainage Scheme
• Landscaping

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Environmental Considerations

RES will design the energy storage system so that it will fit sensitively in the surrounding landscape.

A number of surveys and assessments will be carried out to ensure any potential impact upon the environment, landscape, heritage and local residents is appropriately assessed and mitigated.

The assessments to be carried out will include:

• Ecology
• Landscape
• Heritage & Archaeology
• Flood Risk & Surface Water Management
• Cumulative Impacts
• Noise & Vibration
• Transport
• Arboricultural Survey

The Contullich project will be specifically designed to include planting of native trees, hedgerows and wildflower grass areas. These will not only reduce potential visibility of the scheme but also help to enhance biodiversity by providing wildlife corridors and vital resources for mammals, birds, and insect species.

Traffic and Access

All delivery traffic will access the site from the B9176 Struie Road. At this early stage we are considering 3 options for the access point to site, as shown on the plan to the right.

Throughout the construction phase there will be a combination of HGVs (for the component and material deliveries) and cars/vans (for construction staff), on site. Typically, there is peak HGV movements during the first few weeks of construction whilst car/van movements are expected to be constant throughout.

A Transport Statement will accompany any planning application, which will outline the overall framework for managing the safe movement of construction and delivery traffic as well as itemising the expected number of traffic movements and timing restrictions.

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Why Energy Storage?

Our energy system is in a transitionary period.

Ageing infrastructure is being replaced and greater flexibility introduced into our networks via technological advances, such as energy storage, to manage the increasingly complex supply and demand needs of the 21st Century.

Energy storage is crucial in enabling the rollout of zero carbon energy and supporting the UK’s net-zero emissions target.

Renewable energy technologies are needed to replace electricity generation from fossil fuels, however, they can generate electricity intermittently depending on weather conditions, which can cause imbalances in the electricity network.

Energy storage works by storing energy at times when generation exceeds demand and then releases electricity back to the electricity network when demand exceeds generation.

Electricity is not physically generated on site.