Campaigners say a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) in the North Yorkshire countryside would have a “very high risk” of catching fire — a claim rejected by the developer.
Members of the Against Battery Storage: East Rounton, Picton, Crathorne, West Rounton Area group have submitted a 33-page objection to plans for a plant on farmland near East Rounton, between Northallerton and Yarm.
Using figures on incidents at battery storage schemes around the world, the campaign group said there were more than 70 fires at battery storage plants between 2018 and 2023.
Regarding the planned scheme in North Yorkshire, the objection claimed that the 1GW facility would have a 27 per cent chance of catching fire in any one year.
The campaign group also claimed the scheme contravened fire safety regulations on a number of points, including space between battery containers, the water supply to the site and access to the development.
The document concluded: “The risk of fire on a site this big is very high.
“This is new technology. The rarity of BESS fires up to now is due to the rarity of BESS sites, not a lack of risk.
“Risks compound with site size; low risks for battery cells become substantial when you put approximately four million cells on one site.
“Only one needs to fail to start a major fire.”
But the claims have been rejected by applicant NatPower, which has also submitted plans to build a similar scheme near South Kilvington, Thirsk.
The company said the safety of its BESS was of “paramount importance”.
A spokesperson added: “That is why we are engaging with specialist fire safety advisors, including North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, local authority environmental health teams and other statutory bodies to ensure that our proposed designs meet the health and safety requirements set by local and national policy.
“BESS make use of tried and tested technology, much of which we use in our day-to-day lives – for example, in mobile telephones and electric vehicles.”
The company said safety measures would be built into its battery design, including a fire suppression system, which would only operate in the “very unlikely” event of the batteries overheating.
Comments from those in favour and against the plans. have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council.
Gary Potts, vice principal at Middlesbrough College, is among those who have given their support to the scheme.
He said: “If the UK is to achieve net zero by 2050 and decarbonisation of its energy system by 2035, battery storage is needed to alleviate grid bottlenecks and manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy.
“As such, it is vital that projects such as the Battery Energy and Storage Systems project are permitted without delay.”
Campaigners will hold a public meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, at 7pm in Rountons Village Hall to discuss how to fight the plans.
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