PLANS for a battery storage system in Fishcross will be recommended for approval by Clackmannanshire Council officers.

The local authority's planning department is in favour of proposals at Bankhead Farm, south of Twenty-five Acre Wood, with the Planning Committee set to meet on Thursday, May 2.

In what falls into the major category of developments, the proposal for the energy storage system will support renewable technologies and will be built across the road from an existing substation.

A range of conditions are being recommended, including that the energy storage system shall be decommissioned after 40 years.

The site is 0.85 hectares of farmland on the north side of the B9140 road, just to the west of Fishcross and directly opposite the substation there.

Twenty-five Acre Wood lies to the north and there are two sets of overhead lines running through the site.

The main elements of the development include five transformers, 10 inverters, 10 battery units in shipping containers, one storage container and portable-style control and substation buildings.

All of the above are low-rise structures and will be grouped together.

If approved, the site will be enclosed by palisade-style metal security fencing with a small area of acoustic fencing around the buildings closest to Fishcross.

The southern and majority of eastern and western boundaries will be planted with native hedging.

The site has been chosen due to its close proximity to the Devonside substation.

It receives grid connection from Burnfoot Hill Windfarm in the Ochils and will be connected via underground cables, it is understood.

A report to be tabled for councillors on the committee said: “The proposed development would assist in replacing older energy infrastructure and the move to a low carbon economy by allowing electricity from the national grid to be stored in batteries at times of low demand and then exported back to the grid at times of high demand.

“This will support the grid and provide a more reliable supply of energy to users.

“Energy storage supports renewable sources of energy (such as solar, wind etc.) which provide intermittent supplies of energy.

“This type of facility stores excess energy generated during high-production periods (high winds, lots of sunshine etc.) and then export it back to the grid when generation is low.

“The Burnfoot windfarm in the Ochil Hills connects to the national grid at the Devonside substation, opposite the site.”

Nearby residents have raised some concerns regarding traffic, noise, impact on landscape and more, which have been addressed by officers.

The site is expected to generate very low traffic, the environmental health service is satisfied with the proposed acoustic screening, the buildings will be low-level and “there is significant justification for the chosen location”.

Proposals for a reserve gas generation facility just west of the site were refused in 2021 by the same committee, however, that development was of a different nature and scale.