Councillors are set to meet to examine the benefits and risks to North Yorkshire of multi-million-pound battery energy storage plants.
The move comes amid growing concerns from local residents and community leaders over a wave of schemes being proposed for open countryside sites within the county.
North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les said he had counted 22 battery energy storage system (BESS) proposals currently going through the planning process.
In his leader’s statement for next week’s full council meeting, Cllr Les told members: “I think we all agree on both energy security and food security.
“These should be complementary wherever possible. I have been approached by a number of residents of our county and some members too for more information (on BESS).”
Cllr Les said he had asked the authority’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, to facilitate an all-member seminar about the technology.
He added: “We can all, not just planning committee members who will have to determine some of these, better understand the opportunities, the need for certain locations to be necessary for grid connections, the size and scale of projects, the benefits and the risks involved in the technology.”
The senior councillor said members would at the implications of the government’s plans to overhaul the planning system and make it easier for developers to get permission for schemes deemed to be “nationally significant infrastructure projects”, including power plants and wind farms, as well as major road building projects.
Several BESS schemes have been proposed for the Vale of Mowbray and Vale of York areas of the county, with plans drawn up for sites near existing electricity network infrastructure.
Plans for a scheme at South Kilvington, near Thirsk, have attracted dozens of objections, including from the North York Moors National Park Authority, which is concerned about the impact of the facility on views from the western edge of the park.
A consultation exercise on another scheme at East Rounton, between Northallerton and Yarm, is due to end today.
More than 200 objections have been submitted to the council.
The concerns raised by residents include fears over a fire risk from the plant and the use of agricultural land for energy purposes rather than food production.
Residents also claim the UK already has enough capacity for energy storage going through the planning process and the North Yorkshire countryside is not a suitable location for more schemes.
Battery storage systems store electricity generated by renewable sources and feed it back into the grid when needed.
Developers say BESS uses tried and tested technology already in use in systems such as electric vehicles and safety measures are built into the systems.
Supporters say the plants are vital if the country is to meet its net zero target by 2050.
Last month, Kevin Foster, leader of the Green Party group on North Yorkshire Council, wrote an open letter to the region’s mayors and council leaders calling for a coordinated strategy on BESS.
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