Council urges action over battery farm fire fears

Suffolk firefighters at their training centre where a battery energy storage system fire can be simulated

Energy secretary Ed Milliband will be asked to fund training and equipment for fire services in areas where large battery farms are planned.

Norfolk County Council voted in favour of asking for government support for emergency services because of concerns they may have to deal with blazes at battery energy storage systems (Bess).

A number are planned for Norfolk, and Conservative council leader Kay Mason Billig said she fears "they pose a serious risk", whilst calling for fire services to be consulted on battery farm planning applications.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said "fires at storage sites in the UK are rare" and "high safety standards" were already in place.

Bess are used to stockpile excess energy from sources such as fossil fuels, solar and wind - and then release it when the power is needed most.

The electricity is held inside lithium batteries, which are housed in structures similar to shipping containers.

They are seen as a key part of the government's plan for green power and energy security, with it aiming to increase storage capacity from 4.5 GW in 2024, to up to 27 GW by 2030.

However, whilst Bess fires are rare, concerns have been raised about their safety, with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service describing them as "an emerging risk".

There is currently no single authority setting safety standards for them, but they are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive.

A growing number of applications have been submitted for Bess sites, although developers recently suspended their plans for a large one at Rushall, near Diss.

Council leader Kay Mason Billig said there had been a "surge" of applications to build battery energy storage systems

Mason Billig told a meeting of Norfolk County Council that she was concerned there was no legal requirement for fire services to be consulted on planning applications for Bess sites.

Calling for a change in the law she also said she wanted ministers to make sure emergency services were equipped to deal with any fires at them.

"They present a real challenge to our fire and rescue services who are expected to respond to these highly complex incidents with no additional funding, training or equipment from the government or developers," she said.

Mason Billig added she wanted the government to set national safety standards for battery farms.

Catherine Rowett said she was against "scaremongering" but supported tighter guidelines

Catherine Rowett, who leads the council's Green group, said she supported tighter guidelines and fire service funding – but warned against "scaremongering".

She said Bess sites where there had been fires – such as one in Liverpool in 2020 – were based on older technology that is now out of use.

"We should resist the temptation to overstate the risks from Bess installations because local residents are receiving sensationalist misinformation that are causing many to fear for their lives," she said.

Forty councillors voted in favour of Mason Billig's proposals – 11 abstained and none voted against – so she will now write to Milliband.

A spokesman for Norfolk's Fire and Rescue Service said it "would welcome closer fire service involvement in these sites as a positive step towards greater public safety in an emerging technology".

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's spokeswoman said that "every battery storage facility we construct helps protect families from future energy shocks".

She added: "Battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK and we already have high safety standards in place to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan."