Rural Community Expresses Concerns Over Battery Storage Facility Plans

A rural community located in the Borders region is raising concerns that Scotland’s transition to renewable energy carries significant consequences. Residents of Leitholm, a village situated between Coldstream and Greenlaw, assert that the essence of their community is being undermined by the planned introduction of battery storage facilities. Should all six proposed facilities receive approval, over 200 acres of agricultural land within a three-kilometre proximity to the village would be converted into concreted industrial sites. Seonaid Blackie, a retired nursery owner, commented on the situation, stating: “This is not the place it used to be – people are worried sick.” Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) is presently undertaking the expansion and establishment of new electricity substations throughout central and southern Scotland. This initiative aims to accommodate the growing volume of renewable energy produced, primarily by onshore and offshore windfarms. The National Grid forecasts a six-fold increase in energy storage requirements by the decade’s end, leading to proposals for new battery compounds being submitted in conjunction with each substation project. These facilities are designed to store surplus energy, which can then be discharged during periods of low wind generation or heightened demand. While the expansion to double the capacity of the Eccles substation, situated near Leitholm, proceeds, approval has been secured for two battery storage facilities on adjacent farmland. An additional four such facilities are currently under consideration. Eccles Energy Centre Limited, which has proposed a 500MW facility approximately two kilometres south of Leitholm, stated that substantial limitations exist regarding where battery developments can presently connect to the electricity network. A spokesperson elaborated: “Connection capacity currently exists at expanded or newly developed strategic substations in the Scottish Borders and this is why we are working to develop, construct and operate a battery energy storage system in immediate proximity to the Eccles HV substation. “Our site has also been selected with the view of minimising impact on environment, infrastructure, traffic and local communities, and the development will adhere to all local and national planning, and environmental requirements.” Richard Honer moved to the Berwickshire village almost two decades ago, having sustained severe injuries in a car crash. The electrical engineer spent six months in a burns unit fighting for his life. He attributes his rehabilitation significantly to the peaceful Leitholm countryside. Nevertheless, one of the planned storage facilities is designated for the arable fields located behind his residence. Richard commented: “I suffer from tinnitus and the noise from this will be horrendous.” He added, “I came here after my accident and it has has been such a great place for the recovery of both my physical and mental health.” He further stated, “The view from my windows is currently green fields, but it will soon be concrete with around 250 individual container units.” Concluding, he expressed, “I feel the heart is being ripped out of this beautiful place that I call home.” Professor John Irvine, an industry expert from St Andrew’s University, considers energy storage essential for Scotland and the UK to achieve net-zero objectives. Nevertheless, he believes these developments should not compromise other environmental priorities. He remarked: “We need energy storage – about half of our electricity at the moment is coming from wind.” He continued, “To get all of our electricity from renewables we need storage – and batteries are an important part of solving some of the problems that come with this aim.” He emphasized, “But having food production and carbon capture are also very important – there needs to be a balance.” Professor Irvine suggested, “Industrial brownfield sites should be the place to start when considering battery storage facilities.” He concluded, “You need controls to make sure you have enough energy storage, but also to make sure that you don’t have too much.” Seonaid Blackie recently acquired a retirement bungalow in Kelso, a nearby town. However, the sale of her family home of 16 years, located outside Leitholm, collapsed on the scheduled signing day. This occurred after prospective buyers learned of plans for two battery storage facilities situated within a mile of the property. The former nursery business owner stated: “We had worked all of our lives so we could have a comfortable retirement, but that has been taken away from us.” She added, “My husband is unable to give up work as we are now having to pay for two houses.” Blackie further commented, “I have lived around here for 40 years and we had such a lovely community – but everything is changing.” She concluded, “The community has been divided by this, and what is currently countryside will soon be an industrial estate.” The approval process for battery energy storage facilities is determined by either the local authority or the Scottish government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU), contingent on the project’s scale. The Scottish government indicates that community impacts are a factor considered under its Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4). They also affirm that cumulative impacts are evaluated during the decision-making procedure. A spokesperson further noted: “All applications are subject to site specific assessments.” Scottish Borders Council stated that all interested parties are afforded the chance to provide direct comments on applications, whether these are submitted to the council itself (for projects under 50MW) or to the ECU. A spokesman clarified: “The council’s remit is to assess the planning implications of the proposal – in other words, to assess the proposal against development plan policies and make any technical assessments that it has responsibility for, such as landscape and visual impacts, access, noise and the effect of these on residential amenity.” SPEN is presently engaging in consultations with two additional communities within the Scottish Borders, specifically near Hawick and Lauder, regarding the establishment of two new substations. This forms part of their Cross Border Connection Project. The company explained: “The substation at Eccles is a critical point of the electricity grid and is being extended to install equipment that will facilitate the transfer of power between Scotland and England to meet this increase in demand and renewable generation.” However, resident James Finnie expressed that one of the proposed battery storage facilities near Eccles substation has left his life in an uncertain state. He elaborated: “Both my wife and I have elderly parents in their 80s and 90s – and we decided a couple of years ago to sell up and move closer so that we could take care of them.” He continued, “We put our home outside Leitholm on the market, but during the sales process the news came through the grapevine about a battery storage site being planned directly behind our home.” Finnie stated, “Since making this known on our sellers’ declaration there has been absolutely no interest – our selling agent has advised that there will need to be a 40 percent reduction in the sale price.” He concluded, “We feel that our lives are now on hold.” The Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham community council initially endorsed the substation extension and the first two battery storage facilities. Currently, they are spearheading opposition against the four subsequent applications. Chair Bob Hope commented: “Most people are supportive of the transition to renewable energy but they are not supportive of it being left to market forces rather than a strategic approach.” He added, “Every part of Scotland could be affected by these developments.”