Coalburn, South Lanarkshire
200MW/400MWh Battery Energy Storage System
The Coalburn Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is now under construction and will play a key role in supporting the UK’s transition to a cleaner, more flexible energy system.
Part of our £750m portfolio of battery energy storage systems in Scotland
Zenobē designs, finances, builds, owns and operates battery energy storage systems (BESS). We help grid operators overcome the challenges in balancing supply and demand and overcoming power stability and constraints as we transition away from fossil fuels towards net zero.
By 2027, Zenobē is on track to deliver 1.2GW of battery power, which will make us one of the largest owners and operators of battery storage in the UK.
200MW /
400MWh
battery to reduce wasted wind energy
2026
construction commenced
2027
site is expected to go into operation
Project description
The Coalburn BESS is currently under construction on a 7-acre (3-hectare) site immediately west of the B7078, approximately 3.5km south of Lesmahagow in South Lanarkshire.
Once operational, the 200MW battery energy storage system will connect to Coalburn North Substation via underground cables, helping to support a more flexible and resilient electricity network.
The principal components of the project include:
- Approximately 150 Battery Energy Storage units, each one approximately 16.6m x 3.7m x 3.5m in size, housing the battery blocks, inverters, heating, ventilation, and transformers
- Two high voltage supergrid transformers, associated switchgear, and enclosure walls
- Up to three medium voltage switch rooms, three spares containers, and three control rooms each approximately the size of a shipping container
- Columns for the infrared security lights and CCTV system up to 6m in height
- Internal access tracks approximately 5m in width
- Underground cables to connect to the substation
- A perimeter metal palisade fence 2.4m high
- Landscape planting and biodiversity enhancement measures
Project programme
The programme below highlights the main stages of the project through to the site becoming fully operational.
Planning
Planning consent for the Coalburn Battery Energy Storage System was granted by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit following submission of the application in 2023.
Final Investment Decision (FID)
Following the granting of consent, the project progressed through detailed design, equipment procurement, contract negotiations, technical due diligence and the discharge of planning conditions. These activities supported Zenobē’s Final Investment Decision (FID), enabling the project to proceed into the construction phase.
Construction
Construction of the Coalburn BESS is now underway. Works include site preparation, earthworks, drainage installation and the construction of foundations and cable infrastructure. As construction progresses, battery units, transformers and other electrical equipment will be delivered, installed and connected. The construction phase is expected to take approximately 18 months.
Commissioning
Once construction is complete, the battery and associated electrical equipment will undergo rigorous testing and commissioning before connecting to the electricity network.
Operation
The site is expected to become operational in 2027, providing essential services that support a more flexible, reliable and low-carbon electricity network. Operational maintenance requirements are low, resulting in minimal vehicle movements once construction is complete.
Decommissioning
Community benefit
Who are Zenobē?
Zenobē designs, builds and operates battery energy storage systems (BESS) that maximise the uptake of renewable power, ensuring it does not go to waste and can power our homes and our transport.
Founded in the UK in 2017, we will deliver 1.2GW worth of battery storage projects by 2027.
We’re investing £750m into the Scottish electricity transmission network over the next three years, to 2026. These sites will save more than 1 billion tonnes of CO2, over their 15 years of operation.
Scotland's commitment to net-zero
The Scottish and UK Governments have made a legal commitment to cut carbon emissions to net-zero. With the move away from fossil fuels, the demand for electricity will increase with the need to electrify transport, heating and more.
Battery storage plays a key role in helping the UK meet its net zero ambitions as it allows a greater amount of cheap renewable energy to be deployed whilst providing critical balancing and stability services without the need for traditional fossil power stations.
What is a grid-scale battery and what does it do?
Renewable energy is intermittent which means at any time there is a risk of it generating too much or too little in relation to demand from homes, businesses and transport.
Batteries provide ‘flexibility’ and the ability to balance the fluctuating supply and demand on the electricity system which comes with increased deployment of renewable and decentralised energy generation. For example, if wind turbines are generating more power than demand allows, batteries store this surplus energy. When wind generation is low but demand is high, battery operators release the stored electricity back into the system, ensuring this energy is not wasted.
Batteries also provide a wide range of additional services needed to maintain grid stability and keep the lights on. Our batteries have been the first in the world to provide fast reserve, to be used for reactive power and to manage grid constraints on the transmission network.
Our bespoke solutions range from ancillary, balancing and wholesale trading, to providing inertia, short circuit level, and voltage management.
Zenobē also provides non-wire alternative solutions that reduce or eliminate expensive network reinforcement costs. These are specific solutions that are essential to a decarbonised electricity system.
Why Coalburn?
Coalburn substation is located on the western 400kV electricity network between Scotland and England. It is responsible for transmitting renewable energy generated in Scotland to other parts of the UK where demand is greatest. Coalburn is at a strategic location on the transmission network, in an area with a high level of existing renewable energy, mainly windfarms, that connect into the substation.
Without energy storage projects such as the Coalburn Battery Energy Storage System, increasing amounts of renewable energy could be curtailed, limiting the UK’s ability to maximise clean electricity generation and maintain a reliable electricity network.
Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about our battery energy storage system development, contact our Coalburn project management team
If you cannot find the document you are looking for, get in touch with our project development team by emailing contact.coalburn@zenobe.com
