Galway County Council has granted planning permission for a major battery energy storage project in Somerset, Co Galway, with no objections received during the planning process.

The development, proposed by Regnum Renewables Developments Limited, will consist of a 240MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a 3.02-hectare site adjacent to the existing Somerset 110kV substation, approximately 6.5km south of Ballinasloe.

The project includes the construction of a 38kV substation compound, a single-storey electrical substation building, 31 containerised battery storage modules, 12 electrical inverters, six electrical transformers, access tracks, a new site entrance, electrical cabling and ducting, security fencing, CCTV, lighting, landscaping and associated infrastructure.

The site is currently agricultural land and is accessed via the L-8712 local road.

Galway County Council granted planning permission subject to 18 conditions. The permission will remain valid for 30 years from the date the energy storage facility is commissioned.

As part of the approval, the developer must lodge a €150,000 bond with the planning authority before construction begins to cover the reinstatement of any damage to the local road network caused by construction traffic.