Projects Aberdeenshire BESS

Aberdeenshire BESS development

Battery storage

Developers

Energy Storage Scotland

Planning and ecology support across the planning application journey

Locogen successfully supported our client to achieve planning consent for a 49.9MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Aberdeenshire.

Once complete, this development will play a vital role in supporting grid stability and increasing the efficiency of renewable energy during periods of high demand.

49.9MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

Client UK developer
Service Components Battery energy storage system
Status In progress

The project

Locogen’s client, a UK developer, required support to submit their first planning application in Scotland for a 49.9MW standalone BESS development.

We were appointed to project manage the Aberdeenshire development from pre-application stage through to the preparation and submission of a planning application. This included full planning and ecology services, working with a team of consultants to deliver various technical assessments and reports to accompany the planning application.

The project

Locogen undertook an initial planning assessment of the proposed development site which included an assessment of key constraints. We identified 26 potential archaeological assets within a 1km radius of the site, however no ecological constrains were identified at proposal stage.

An Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) was also carried out, which consisted of an extended Phase 1 habitat and protected species survey, looking at reptiles, amphibians, birds, bats, badgers and red squirrels. Due to the small scale of the development and low ecological value of the arable land at the site, no significant impact was anticipated.

However, we proposed that native shrubs and small trees be planted to mitigate any potential landscape impacts from the development and to improve overall biodiversity net gain for herptiles, roosting bats and breeding birds. Noise, flood risk and traffic and transport assessments were also undertaken with no significant concerns raised.

Client support through the application journey

Locogen organise two public consultation events where we represented our client, enabling the local community to find out more about the proposed development and present any questions and concerns.

We also prepared a Planning Design and Access Statement which assesses the proposed development against the Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework 4 in Aberdeenshire. We also prepared planning drawings and provided a pre-application consultation report setting out the consultation efforts undertaken by our client. We submitted the planning application to Aberdeenshire Council on behalf our client’s behalf.

Following submission of the application, we monitored all public and consultee comments and lodged a position statement on behalf of our client to respond to material planning considerations which included fire, drainage and landscape impact.

The outcome

This project was successfully granted planning permission by Aberdeenshire Council in July 2025, with a current grid connection date of 2029.

Locogen has been appointed to discharge all the pre-commencement planning conditions for the next phase of development. This includes provision of an access plan, a decommissioning strategy and a habitat management plan.