In a quiet corner of East Renfrewshire, UK energy firm Apatura has secured another brick in its growing battery empire. With unanimous approval and zero objections, the company received planning consent for a 40-MW/80-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) near the village of Eaglesham—its eighth successful project nod in just 16 months.
That approval now brings Apatura’s total consented capacity across the UK to a staggering 1.5 gigawatts, as the race to stabilise Britain’s renewables-heavy energy system intensifies.
A silent approval for a major step forward
The site, dubbed the Glasgow Road project, will span eight acres and store enough electricity to power tens of thousands of homes during peak demand hours.
According to documents submitted to East Renfrewshire Council, the project drew no formal objections from local residents, environmental groups, or statutory consultees—an increasingly rare feat in Britain’s energy landscape, where opposition to new infrastructure often comes fast and loud.
For Apatura, the approval is not just another tick-box. It signals growing trust from local authorities and communities, and marks another step toward a grid capable of handling the country’s renewable ambitions.
Building a grid backbone, one battery at a time
Apatura is one of several UK developers racing to meet surging demand for grid-scale battery infrastructure as renewables increase their share of generation. But few have matched the company’s pace.
Earlier this year, Apatura also secured:
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A 400-MW BESS near Stirling – currently one of the largest planned in Scotland
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A 150-MW site near Glasgow – strategically located close to urban demand centers
The Glasgow Road project, though smaller, plays a unique role by addressing local grid constraints in the west of Scotland while supporting the wider transmission system.
“This latest approved scheme will help deliver stable energy prices, leading to reduced bills and taking the pressure off households while at the same time increasing energy security,”
— Andrew Philpott, Chief Development Officer, Apatura
Why Scotland is central to the UK’s storage strategy
Scotland is already leading the UK in wind energy, with over 13 GW of installed capacity and more to come. But transmission constraints and a lack of flexible storage mean that gigawatts of clean electricity are still being curtailed—effectively wasted.
Battery energy storage offers a solution:
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Capture excess wind during low demand periods
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Discharge during peak times, reducing strain and cutting costs
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Stabilise voltage and frequency, keeping the grid resilient
Eaglesham’s location—on the fringes of Glasgow’s metro area and near major substations—makes it ideal for this kind of flexibility.
And for a community known more for its walking trails and wind turbines than its industry, the development brings clean infrastructure with minimal disruption.
From one project to an ecosystem
While the Glasgow Road site is still in the pre-construction phase, it’s expected to break ground within 12 months, with commissioning possible by late 2026 or early 2027, barring delays.
But this isn’t a one-and-done move. According to internal planning documents and recent market activity, Apatura is quietly building a distributed network of BESS assets across the UK, with additional projects reportedly in the pipeline across the Midlands and North West England.
Here’s a look at Apatura’s battery rollout to date:
| Project Name | Capacity (MW/MWh) | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling SuperBESS | 400/800 | Stirling, Scotland | Approved Q1 2025 |
| WestGlasgow GridFlex | 150/300 | Near Glasgow | Approved Q1 2025 |
| Glasgow Road | 40/80 | Eaglesham, Scotland | Approved Q2 2025 |
| Various (5 sites) | 910/1,820 | Across England | Approved (2024) |
Combined, these projects represent one of the largest BESS portfolios in development in the UK outside of government-backed ventures.
Regulatory momentum—and risk
Battery projects like Apatura’s are benefiting from a friendlier planning environment and growing political urgency to improve grid resilience. The UK government has promised to quadruple grid-scale storage by 2030 and is exploring market reforms to accelerate deployment.
However, developers still face hurdles:
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Grid connection delays, often stretching multiple years
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Revenue uncertainty, with market balancing payments fluctuating
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Local opposition, particularly in rural and greenbelt zones
For now, Apatura appears to be threading the needle—growing quickly, securing approvals, and avoiding the kind of backlash that has stalled other infrastructure efforts.
The bigger picture: storage as a cost-of-living tool
While battery storage often feels like a behind-the-scenes enabler of decarbonisation, its impact on households is increasingly direct.
By reducing the need to import gas-fired power at peak times, batteries help flatten price spikes—one of the major contributors to volatile energy bills in recent years. National Grid ESO has also noted that wider use of BESS could cut the UK’s annual energy system costs by £3 billion by the end of the decade.
If Apatura’s Glasgow Road site and others like it live up to their promise, they’ll not only support a cleaner grid—they could make monthly bills a little less brutal.
What’s next?
With over 1.5 GW already consented and more in the pipeline, Apatura is likely to seek investor partnerships or project co-financing as it enters the construction phase on multiple sites.
The company has not yet disclosed its expected capital expenditure for Glasgow Road, but based on similar market benchmarks, the project could cost in the range of £25 million to £35 million.
No formal construction start date has been announced, though local contractors have reportedly been approached for early-stage works.
As the UK accelerates toward its 2030 climate targets, developers like Apatura are no longer just energy players—they’re now critical infrastructure architects.
And in Eaglesham, the future is not just blowing in the wind. It’s humming quietly in a grid-scale battery.
