Wedoany.com Report-Mar 16, RES has submitted a planning application to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in Northern Ireland for a 100MW battery.

The Machaire battery energy storage system (BESS) will be located near Rasharkin in County Antrim.

The BESS proposal is expected to be determined by Causeway Coast and Glen Borough Council’s Planning Committee in 2025.

If consented, it would take around 18 months to build.

Chosen for its close proximity to the Rasharkin substation and lying outside of any national or local environmental designations, the Machaire BESS will support Northern Ireland’s net zero emissions target and help to deliver a reliable, resilient, decarbonised electricity system for the future.

Battery energy storage has a key role in cost-effectively decarbonising the power sector by 2030.

BESS help to balance the electricity system at a lower cost by maximising the output of variable generation as well as minimising both network upgrades and the need for new infrastructure.

Peter Henry, Development Project Manager for RES, said: “We have carefully designed the Machaire project so that it will sit sensitively within the local landscape.

“Potential visibility of this critical piece of infrastructure would be largely limited by the terrain and existing planting, however, we are also proposing a comprehensive landscaping plan as part of the development.

“The measures in this plan will provide additional visual screening alongside increasing biodiversity in the area.

“The Machaire proposal is therefore not just good for the environment but also the local biodiversity.”

The planning submission follows the delivery of a comprehensive community consultation programme with feedback from the local community and stakeholders helping to shape the final design of the project, alongside the results of extensive environmental and technical surveys and assessments.

Henry added: “At RES, we consider pre-application consultation a crucial part of the energy storage development process in order to facilitate constructive conversations.

“We were pleased to host a second consultation event for the local community, ahead of submitting our planning application, following feedback from our first consultation event.

“The second event enabled us to provide information on the updated plans for Machaire and answer any questions.

"We are grateful to everyone who took the time to participate in our consultation events.”