Residents raise concerns over plans for battery storage plant near school
Dozens of objections have been lodged about a large battery storage facility that has been earmarked near a village school.
Elgin Energy wants to set up the facility on land to the west of Pelham Road in Upton Magna, close to the A5 east of Shrewsbury.
Battery storage plants, or battery energy storage systems (BESS), stockpile wind and solar energy and release it when needed.
That excess electricity is stored as chemical energy, usually inside lithium-ion batteries, so when conditions are calm and overcast it can be sent back into the power grid.
However, many people are concerned about the fire risks posed from the lithium within the batteries, which can cause an explosion when it overheats.
In a planning statement, Nick Williams, from Berrys, said the applicant has taken on board guidance from the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and the National Fire Chiefs Council when designing the BESS.
“The BESS has been designed with safety as a priority,” said Mr Williams.
“There are multiple protection and safety devices within the BESS including fire detection in each container, over-temperature protection, ventilation systems, and aerosol fire extinguishing system.”
Documents sent to Shropshire Council show that that feedback was taken on board following a community engagement event held last December. This includes moving the access to the west of the site, with a new road linking Atcham to Uffington.
However, at the time of writing, only two of 77 comments submitted supported the scheme.
“The proposed site lies just 610 metres from St Lucia’s Primary School, which is significantly closer than the widely recommended 1km minimum buffer for battery storage facilities near schools,” said David Carter.
“Lithium expert Paul Christensen, professor of applied electrochemistry, Newcastle University, stated that any BESS site should be at least 1km from places such as a primary school. There is nothing on the planning application addressing this vital concern or any evidence of a wind rose test to assess the direction of prevailing wind should a toxic incident occur.
“The proposed site is only accessible via a long (950-metre) single-track road with poor visibility splays at the end with no confirmed second access. This creates a significant barrier to emergency services access and construction vehicle movement, as confirmed in comments from Shropshire Highways.”
Upton Magna Parish Council is also objecting, as is Councillor Brendan Mallon (Reform UK), who represents Tern.
“It should be concluded that BESS is still an experimental technology with an absolutely appalling safety profile,” said Councillor Mallon.
“It is clear that operational testing is being conducted ‘live’, exposing the public to the now well-known hazards.
“Ongoing testing of this technology should remain confined to isolated, controlled sites and certainly not at a site where it exposes the wonderful ecology, heritage and people of Shropshire to such ecological, health and safety threats.”
The proposal does, however, have the support of Dr Ann Dalton.
She said: “I have decided to support this application considering the context of the increasing number of battery powered technologies from mobile phones to cars, all of which carry a risk of fire, and are generally in much closer proximity to us.”
