Site 6 = Blackford Energy Park 500MW
(pre-application in progress)

Sixth site (Blackford Energy Park) Owner = Noriker Power (45% owned by Equinor formerly known as Statoil)

This is the same owner as site 3, it uses the site 3 access track, and is in effect an extension of the site.

See the project website here = https://blackfordenergypark.com/

Physical Size = 32.8 acres (equivalent to 21 football fields)

When Planning went in = Due April 2025

Planning Approved = NOT YET

Whats Next = Planning Application

Time line for construction = to start Q1 2028, to go online Q4 2029

How long lease period = ??

Power Output = 500MW, Capacity = 1GWh release over 2 hour period

Energy Consents Unit reference =  ECU00006121 Pre Application Complete, decision = Non-EIA

Aberdeenshire Council Planning Enquiry Ref: ENQ/2025/0428

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As well as the battery storage, this proposal includes 4500 solar PV panels, which will generate electricity on site. 

Bear in mind, they say that it will take 8MWh to run the site (mainly air-conditioning units to cool the batteries), but these solar panels will only generate 2MWh - so a quarter of what they need to power the site - no excess will be exported back to the grid annually.

Major issue with this site is water run off - they are creating terraces, then concrete bases for all the batteries - they plan to slow release the water run off into the eastern brook - this will then effect the private water supplies of all the properties that are downstream, where it goes into the old mill ponds and onward into the Black Burn and into Rothienorman.

Dr Frank Richards has done some modelling of the potential smoke, fire and water run off if there was an incident at the proposed 500MW Blackford Energy Park - this was delivered to the Fyvie, Rothienorman & Monquhitter Community Council meeting on 25th March 2025.  It shows that lethal fumes from a fire would reach Rothienorman village within 2 minutes, and that the water run off from fire fighting will contaminate the Black Burn which also runs directly into the village - download a copy of the presentation HERE

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