Cove battery storage facility approved despite objections from quarry

A battery storage facility will be installed at Cove despite a fierce objection from the busy quarry next door.

Source Galileo Ltd lodged plans for the 49.9MW battery energy storage system at Rigifa Farm, next to the Leiths Blackhills Quarry and close to the Redmoss substation.

The development will see 56 battery storage containers placed on the site along with a control building and other infrastructure.

It will link to the substation through an underground cable, and developers say the site could take nine months to get up and running.

The application recently went before Aberdeen City Council’s planning committee.

Leiths is long established Aberdeen-based quarry, construction and engineering business and is the closest neighbour to the battery facility.

The company’s HQ is based at Rigifa and sits alongside the granite quarry which is a “significant” source of construction materials for the north-east.

It currently employs 124 members of staff, but bosses were worried that the energy development would harm operations at the site.

Colin Ortlepp said: “Our priority is to ensure that we can continue our business now and in the future without restrictions placed upon us by the presence of this facility.”

He revealed the firm was worried that the battery facility would impact how it extracts rock and change how and where blasting operations could be carried out.

Ortlepp wanted assurance that the health and safety of quarry staff and the wider community would not be put at risk by the development.

He also said Leiths was “extremely concerned” about the potential risk of fire or thermal runaway, and how quickly such a situation could be dealt with.

However, David Bowman of agents Sustainability Unlimited argued that the storage facility was a “crucial piece of infrastructure” for Aberdeen’s energy future.

He explained: “As Scotland’s energy capital, Aberdeen is leading the way in the transition from oil and gas to clean energy and we see this proposal as part of that.

“This facility would help to cement that by making more renewable energy, reliable and dispatchable on demand, reducing reliance on fossil fuel, power stations and supporting local grid stability.”

Regarding concerns about the location of the battery facility, Bowman said the chosen site was chosen due to its close proximity to the substation.

He added: “The applicant is not in the business of sticking a dart in a map on where they would prefer to put these schemes.”

And addressing any fire concerns, he said the firm would liaise with the Scottish Fire Rescue Service, adding: “nothing more can be done”.

It seems Bowman’s words were enough to convince councillors as they unanimously approved the facility.

But, they asked that a fire risk plan be submitted before the battery storage site begins operating.

This will ensure that any potential fire risks or accidents are limited, but suitable measures will be in place should anything happen.