Plans for major BESS project set for approval

Plans for the development of a major battery energy storage system (BESS) project at a landmark site in Newport are set to move forward after being recommended for approval.Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) is seeking permission to develop the BESS facility at the Uskmouth Power Station site which it is developing into into a sustainable energy park.The BESS application site is only part of the much larger power station site and will be within the area of the Uskmouth B station on a former coal stockyard area.The proposal will have the capacity to store 230MW of electricity which is directed to the storage system from the grid during off peak periods and then reconverted to electricity to serve the wider grid during periods of peak demand on the distribution network.A report to be scrutinised by Newport City councillors later this week recommends the application is approved.That recommendation is on the basis that the development will secure major investment in an underused urban industrial site.Battery energy storage is said to contribute to an efficient energy supply network and facilitates “energy supply resilience and security”.Plans for the BESS facility were unveiled by SAE earlier this year after the business decided it would no longer pursue previously announced conversion plans for the power station.