Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon has advised Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) as it starts the construction of two new Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Scotland, including Coalburn 2, in South Lanarkshire, and Devilla, in Fife. Each project is sized at 500MW and once commissioned, will be the largest of their kind in Europe.
Representing an investment of approximately £800 million, the projects expand CIP’s UK BESS construction portfolio from one to three projects, making CIP the largest battery storage investor in the UK with a total power capacity of 1.5GW able to store and supply the grid with a total of 3GWh of electricity, equivalent to the electricity demand of over 4.5 million households, across a two-hour period.
The Burges Salmon team advising on the project was led by partner Lloyd James and director Laura Sharples. They were supported by senior associates Uba Emole and Ross Howells and associate Sophie Smith from the firm’s Construction and Engineering team. Partner Alec Whiter and senior associate Charlotte Robinson from the firm’s Projects team also provided complex expertise on optimisation arrangements. Burges Salmon has a strong relationship with CIP having advised on the construction, operation and optimisation contracts to support the development of Coalburn 1 in December 2023.
Laura says: “I am very proud to have been leading on these fantastic projects, which build on the work that we have done on Coalburn 1. Working on the projects has been a collaborative effort, pooling resources from across the team to support CIP on the delivery of this nationally significant project.”
Lloyd comments: “It has been a pleasure to continue our successful collaboration with CIP and to see our client cement its position as the UK’s largest battery storage investor with the development of these two groundbreaking projects, the largest of their kind in Europe. They both present a significant economic boost for Scotland and position the UK as a key location for state-of-the-art BESS developments. With a Burges Salmon Net Zero team that has been at the forefront of the sector for decades, combined with our expertise advising on the construction of high profile and large scheme projects that promote emerging energy storage technologies, we were well placed to guide CIP and its partners through this complex and pioneering transaction.”
Burges Salmon has a large Energy practice across the UK and is regularly engaged in onshore and offshore wind matters, solar developments and biomass projects. The firm also has particular expertise in renewable and emerging technologies, including battery storage and waste-to-energy plants. This is the latest in a series of Scottish-based renewable and energy transition projects that the firm has advised on, having acted on Scotland's largest airport-based solar project and on the long-term £130m financing of the Limekiln Wind Farm in the Scottish Highlands