Highland councillors urged to raise no objection to Caithness battery storage site

Highland Council has been asked to raise no objection to a battery energy storage system (BESS) near two Caithness villages.

The proposed Achies BESS will be 3.5km from Halkirk and 2.5km from Spittal and will occupy around five acres of land north-west of the existing SSEN Spittal converter station, to which it will connect.

It will have 72 battery storage units with the whole system measuring 3.2 metres high.

Councillors on the north planning committee have been recommended to raise no objection to the site and will make their decision at a meeting on Thursday.

As the BESS is part of the national development plan, the final decision over the site will be for the Scottish Government to decide.

The site has been put forward by applicant Sun4Net which is a London-based developer of solar PV and battery projects.

The development received nine public objections via the energy consents unit (ECU) with concerns raised over fire risks, negative visual impacts from the A9 and the lack of employment prospects.

Halkirk and District community council also objected to the plans over concerns the application did not include an “appropriate technical assessment or justification of the project” and the overall cumulative impact the area is facing.

Contained within the documents are a list of other renewable projects near the area – there are currently 11 developments at various planning stages all less than three kilometres away.

Planning officers from Highland Council have listed a number of conditions to try to mitigate the effects of the BESS that would have to be implemented should the project be granted.