Magherafelt BESS

The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 has set an ambitious target that Northern Ireland must meet at least 80% of its electricity consumption from renewable sources located in NI by 2030. Achieving this will require not only more renewable generation, but also smarter ways to store and manage energy.

ABO Energy previously achieved planning approval for a 2-hour duration energy storage facility at the Magherafelt BESS site. However, to meet the needs of the electricity network the project is being redesigned as a 4-hour facility, maintaining a capacity of 200MW as approved under planning application LA09/2023/0724/F.

We are now carrying out pre-application community consultation to inform our approach to the planning application for the project.

Development

Permitting process

Current status

Construction

Operation

Posters from our pre-application community consultation event

Please click on the headings below to view the posters in detail.

Welcome | The need for battery energy storage

Welcome to this pre-application community consultation

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The need for battery energy storage

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What is being proposed? | The site and surrounding context

What is being proposed?

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The site and surrounding context

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Site Layout Plan | Photomontages

Site Layout Plan

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Photomontages

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Environmental considerations | Feedback and next steps

Environmental considerations

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Feedback and next steps

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Project information

The proposed BESS site is located near Ballymoughan Road, Magherafelt and comprises 9.65 hectares of pastoral grazing land, with approximately 3.54 hectares earmarked for development. It is located within the countryside as designated by the Magherafelt Area Plan 2015. The site features varied topography, natural boundaries including hedgerows and a watercourse, and is not subject to any landscape or environmental designations.

It is important to note that the site area and proposed access remain unchanged from the previous approval. The internal changes to the site layout and proposed battery technology allow for the duration of the BESS to increase from 2 hours to 4 hours.

Longer duration storage is required to help meet Northern Ireland’s renewable electricity consumption target of at least 80% by 2030 and help achieve security of electricity supply.

As previously proposed it will be connected to the substation by way of underground cabling. The route will be identified and cabling installed and controlled by NIE Networks.

The benefits of BESS

Battery storage brings a range of benefits to Northern Ireland and plays a critical role in the clean energy transition by:

• Reducing curtailment: Northern Ireland is currently not taking full advantage of the renewable energy generated due to grid constraints. Batteries can capture surplus energy generated and use it later.
• Enhancing grid stability: Batteries respond instantly to fluctuations in supply and demand, helping to maintain a consistent flow of electricity.
• Supporting decarbonisation: By reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based backup power, battery storage helps lower carbon emissions.

In addition to supporting national energy goals, battery storage projects can bring local benefits. These include improved grid resilience, potential investment opportunities, and support for local jobs during construction and operation.

Pre-application community consultation

This webpage is part of an on-going consultation process being carried out by ABO Energy with members of the local community and other interested parties to inform the submission of a planning application for the Magherafelt BESS.

To be considered during the design process, feedback must be received no later than Tuesday 14th October.

If you have any queries regarding the information presented as part of this community consultation process, please contact us directly using the details provided. Belmont – ABO Energy’s communication and engagement partner on this project – can be contacted via telephone on +44 28 9072 6059 between the hours of 10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.

Please note: Any comments made to ABO Energy and/or the project team during this pre-application community consultation process are not representations to the planning authority. If a formal planning application is submitted, local advertisement and neighbour notification will take place and there will be an opportunity to make representations to the planning authority at that time.

Environmental Considerations

ABO Energy is undertaking extensive environmental assessments as part of its preparation of a planning application for the proposed Magherafelt BESS. A selection of some of the key environmental considerations are included below:

• Access and Transport
• Drainage and Flooding
• Landscape and Visual
• Archaeology
• Noise
• Ecology
• Fire Risk and Health & Safety

All considerations are site specific and are informed by detailed surveys and assessments. For the purposes of this pre-application community consultation process we have selected key topics to provide further information on – these are displayed on the project information boards available to download above. 

The Planning Process

Your feedback will be considered in detail as work progresses towards finalising our designs and collating all the relevant planning application documents.

It is intended that a full planning application will be submitted to Mid Ulster District Council by the end of 2025. The Council will then process and decide the outcome of the application.

If planning permission is granted, and all other necessary consents are achieved, it is anticipated that the project will take approximately 9-12 months to construct and become operational.

If you have any questions about the Magherafelt BESS project, or would like to share your feedback, please complete the form below: