Meath County Council grants permission for battery energy storage plant at Meath Hill Drumconrath Navan, Co. Meath

In context

It is the only battery storage application Meath County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 58 nationally. Of the 71 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 77% were granted.

What happens next

The applicant, or anyone who made a submission on the application, can appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of 2 May 2024. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

Verbatim from the Meath County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

Upgrading of an existing 110kV electrical substation to facilitate connection to a consented battery energy storage system (BESS) (Ref. KA/180156). Upgrade works to the substation include construction of a new electrical 110kV line bay comprising of 1) Cable Sealing End (CSE) and concrete plinth; Surge Arrestor (SA) and concrete plinth; Disconnect switch to Earth and concrete plinth; Voltage Transformer (VT) and concrete plinth; Current Transformer (CT) and concrete plinth; Circuit Breaker (CB) and concrete plinth; Disconnect switch and concrete plinth; All necessary electrical cabling to connect above listed equipment with existing busbar and control cabling; Works to include all necessary foundations and concrete ductwork 2) Construction of an electrical busbar sectionaliser to divide the existing 110kV busbar. New equipment to be installed would include: Current Transformer (CT) and concrete plinth; Circuit Breaker (CB) and concrete plinth; All necessary electrical cabling to connect above listed equipment with existing busbar and control cabling. 3) Replace the northern section of existing Steel wire fence with a 2.6m tall palisade fence including a gate. 4) Construction of an Interface (Marshalling) Kiosk and plinth located at the boundary between ESBN substation land folio and BESS (approved Planning Permission – Register No. KA/180156). Kiosk to be enclosed by 2.6m tall palisade fence including a gate. 5) Construction of approx. 11m (length) of 4m wide walkway comprising of crushed limestone on geotextile, to connect Meath Hill substation fenced enclosure with the Interface (Marshalling) Kiosk fenced enclosure. 6) Excavation and construction of approx. 23m of underground cable trench (approx. 1.2m deep) to accommodate 110kV cable ducting and associated control and earth cabling ducts. The cabling would run between the Cable Sealing End located in the proposed new line bay in Meath Hill Substation and the Cable Sealing End located into the consented BESS.