Statkraft UK has confirmed it has submitted an appeal to the Scottish Government following Renfrewshire Council’s refusal of its proposal for a grid stability project at Neilston.

Statkraft’s application for a Greener Grid Park north west of Sergeantlaw was considered by the Communities, Housing & Planning Policy Board on 26 October 2021. Although the application had no consultee objections and no local representations against the plans, the Board supported the Officer’s recommendation to refuse the application.

Statkraft has reviewed the reasons for refusal and has decided to appeal the decision. As part of the appeal, Statkraft has submitted updated images, which include proposed screening, to provide a better representation of the project.

Lloyd Godwin the Project Manager said: “We are committed to investing in this area to realise the potential for the site, and to help Scotland deliver its ambitious targets on its Net Zero journey. National Grid’s Electricity System Operator have identified a critical need for the stability services in the Neilston area. This project is perfectly placed to deliver these services, carbon free.”

The Greener Grid Park is a highly innovative project that expands National Grid’s capacity to utilise more renewable electricity on the network. By installing this facility, more renewable power can be delivered to UK homes and businesses, helping to decarbonise Great Britain’s energy supply network. The project will also save consumers money. National Grid ESO estimate that the five suppliers awarded grid stability contracts currently being installed across GB will save electricity consumers up to £128 million over the six year contract period. Statkraft has already delivered a similar project in Keith, Moray, and is now online and contributing to these savings.

If the project gets consent from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division of the Scottish Government and development approval, it will bring significant investment to the local community, which is estimated to be in the region of £20m, with opportunities for local suppliers and businesses throughout the construction phase. We have a track record of promoting these opportunities locally and through our membership of the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce..

For the sixth consecutive year, Statkraft have released its Low Emissions Scenario - an analysis of the energy world towards 2050.

The Scenario covers the energy transition necessary to move towards a low emissions world.

It finds that renewable energy and electrification are the main solutions to decarbonisation, with green hydrogen playing a key role in industry and heavy transport.

Currently, the Earth’s temperature is 1.1 degrees warmer than it was during pre-industrial times, and we are already seeing the effects of climate change in the form of extreme heat, wildfires, and violent floods. The UN Climate Panel’s sixth report, released in August 2021, made us even more acutely aware of how a temperature increase of two, three and four degrees will have dramatic consequences for our planet. Two degrees is simply too much - we need to limit global warming to a level as far down towards 1.5 degrees as possible.

As we face the challenge ahead, it is also important to look back and celebrate achievements:

• Global sales of battery electric cars increased by 40%, even though total car sales fell in 2020.
• 2020 had a record-high buildout of solar and wind power.
• Green investments increased in 2020 despite the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Investment in renewable power was (7%) higher in 2020 than in 2019.

We must work together to make strides to meet our climate targets which include making solar power the world’s largest power source as early as 2035, ensuring green hydrogen plays a key role in industry and heavy transport sector and using renewable energy and electrification as a main solution for decarbonisation.

Read the full report on the Statkraft website.

Thank you to all residents and interested groups who took the time to engage with our consultation regarding our planning application for Neilston Greener Grid Park.

We appreciate all your feedback and questions about the project and where we have been able to we have incorporated this in to the project.

Our planning application was submitted to Renfrewshire Council in March 2021.  We expect the project to go to Planning Committee on the 26th October 2021.    

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions about the project, we would be happy to hear from you.

We are pleased to announce that plans for a Greener Grid Park have been submitted to Renfrewshire Council.

Located immediately east of the Neilston National Grid Substation, the purpose of the proposal is to support the flexible operation of the National Grid, and enable increased amounts of renewable energy generation to be utilised.

The development includes a landscape scheme with woodland planting to provide visual screening and enhance the biodiversity value of the site. The application is available to view on the Renfrewshire Council website and includes a full set of planning drawings, a Planning, Design and Access Statement and technical reports.

If the project is consented, we intend to work with trade bodies and other business groups to maximise opportunities for local suppliers. Interested local suppliers are encouraged to register their capabilities on the Local Suppliers register.

As Europe’s largest provider of renewable energy, Statkraft is at the forefront of delivering new, innovative projects that decarbonise the grid and reduce customer costs. Statkraft was awarded contracts with National Grid ESO in January 2020 for two stability projects in Lister Drive, Liverpool and Keith, Scotland.

For an overview of this application, the Design and Access Statement is a good place to start.

You can view all the planning application documents on this website, or the Renfrewshire Council website.

Please contact us for information on any aspect of the project.

Wildfires which devastated much of the Moray countryside in the north of Scotland last year have led to increased environmental benefits being proposed by Europe’s largest renewable energy producer.

Work on Statkraft’s proposed extension to the Berry Burn Wind Farm, near Forres, has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Project Award, at the Scottish Renewables ‘Green Energy Awards’. In April 2019, a catastrophic wildfire spread throughout the site causing damage to precious habitats and threatening the project all together. The fire burnt for over a week and it took some time to ensure that peat fires were extinguished, and safe access could be allowed.

Unfortunately, the habitats and vegetation across a large area - including the entire proposed extension area – were utterly devastated.

Experts from ecological consultancy Avian Ecology worked tirelessly to ensure the project could continue by working with NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) and the local community to find ways to restore and then enhance the biodiversity of the site.

Avian Ecology mapped out an engagement approach, with a high emphasis on early and on-going consultation with NatureScot to deliver an innovative habitat management plan that would bring a biodiversity net gain to the fire-damaged area, helping to turn around the catastrophe. In addition, they proposed measures to prevent the spreading of future wildfires, reducing the chance of such extensive damage reoccurring. The plan was carefully designed so as to provide improved peatland habitats for wildlife and carbon storage, providing clear benefits over and above those already in place for the operational Berry Burn Wind Farm.

That work has now been recognised for its quality with the shortlisting for the prestigious Green Energy Awards.

Mícheál Ó Broin, Senior Development Manager at Statkraft said: “Avian Ecology has exceeded our expectations. Their innovative ideas to minimise impacts to the natural environment is paramount in this industry as we work towards our ambitious net-zero target. We are delighted that this project partnership is getting the recognition it deserves.”

Howard Fearn, Director at Avian Ecology Limited said: “The devastating wildfire of April 2019 significantly impeded our normal process to survey and assess ecological impacts of the proposed extension. An entirely new approach was required, and we recognised this as an opportunity to increase the environmental benefits the project could deliver. It required innovative thinking and a close-working relationship with NatureScot. The wind farm extension would enable a significant biodiversity gain through improving peat habitats, accelerating recovery from fire damage and reducing damage from future wildfires.”

Due to Covid-19, this year’s Awards event will be held online on Thursday 26 November.

Local residents and community leaders have been notified of a new proposal that will help the UK achieve its target of zero carbon emissions by 2050. Located near the existing Neilston substation, the project is designed to maintain stable flows of energy through the network, helping to prevent power blackouts.

A consultation on the project will take place between 14 August - 11 September 2020, and will enable those interested to find out more and have their say before a planning application is submitted to Renfrewshire Council.

Project Manager Lucy Kent says: "We are confident that our dedicated project website will allow us to engage with the community prior to submitting a planning application, but for those who aren't able to access the website, we have provided options for contacting us by post or phone."

The power sector continues to lead efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland, according to the latest report from the Committee on Climate Change (External link)(CCC).

In its 2019 report to Parliament, the committee, an independent body set up to advise the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets, said reductions must be made economy-wide to avoid missing those targets. Emissions fell by 3% in 2017, compared to a 10% drop the previous year.

Scotland is committed to becoming a net-zero society by 2045 - five years ahead of the rest of the UK. It has set targets to reduce emissions by 56% by this year and by 75% by 2030. The CCC has warned the targets will be extremely challenging to meet and much more needs to be done to drive reductions.

Statkraft aims to play its part in helping to achieve the aims with plans to invest £600 million on wind and solar projects in Scotland within the next five years.

Low-carbon electricity generation, from sources including wind and solar power, must increase by around 50% in the next decade alone to meet net zero targets.

The warning comes from the National Grid which also highlights the need to install low-carbon heating systems in 2.8 million homes and 60,000 charging points for electric vehicles over the next ten years. At the same time, carbon capture usage and storage technology and hydrogen networks will need to be developed.

In its report, Building the Net Zero Energy Workforce(External link), it says properly skilled workers will be required to transform the energy network. In Scotland alone, 48,700 jobs will have to be created to reach the UK target of net zero by 2050 – although the Scottish target is five years earlier.

Statkraft has an important role to play. Our commitment to invest £600 million in Scotland in the next five years will help reduce emissions and create new jobs.