Battery packs could provide city with green electricity of future

Proposals have been unveiled for scores of giant battery packs which would help to power Dundee.

The application, submitted by Huddersfieldbased company Gigabox Developments Ltd, would consist of 50 containers at the Technology Park on South Road, close to the Balgarthno Stone Circle.

The facility would provide “electrical energy storage” and contribute towards the Scottish Government’s strategy to “decarbonise” and “safeguard” the electrical supply.

The battery packs, which would be housed in steel shipping containers, would work by drawing power from the electricity grid, storing it and then releasing it back to the grid as required.

In its supporting statement, the firm has said these types of facilities would become commonplace in the UK over the next decade as the country moved away from carbon energy.

The proposed site is currently vacant, and is owned by property investment business Paddy Estates Ltd.

The units would have an operating life of up to 30 years, after which they would be removed and the site would be cleared and restored.

A report in support of the application claims the South Road facility would create local jobs during its construction, operation and maintenance.

The site would be guarded by perimeter fencing as well as an alarm and CCTV system to prevent unauthorised access.

However, the developer has stressed the security cameras would avoid any surveillance of the adjacent residential properties.

This would be the second battery facility in Dundee.

A previous application from the same developer was lodged with the local authority late last year and outlined plans to construct a similar facility at Dunsinane Industrial Estate.

It detailed how the plant would provide a cache of up to 50 megawatts of power on tap – enough to supply up to 100,000 homes for an hour.

The application was approved by Dundee City Council in March.