Villagers 'losing sleep' over battery farm plan

Villagers said they were "losing sleep" over plans for one of the UK's largest battery storage sites.

Elmya Energy wants to house batteries in more than 1,000 containers on farmland at Rushall near Diss, Norfolk.

Parish councillor Lisa Buck said she was concerned there was "a high risk" the facility – which would store power generated by wind and solar farms – could catch fire.

Elmya – which has yet to submit its plans for the Dodd's Wood site – said it would have "advanced monitoring, early fire detection, and suppression systems".

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are used to stockpile excess energy from renewables and then release it when the power is needed most.

The electricity is held inside Lithium-ion batteries which are housed in structures similar to shipping containers.

With a growing number of solar projects proposed – including a number of "mega-farms" in Norfolk – more storage is needed for the energy they generate.

But concerns are being increasingly raised about potential fire risks, because of the lithium within the batteries, which can cause an explosion when it overheats.

A fire at a small BESS site in Liverpool in 2020 took fire crews 59 hours to extinguish, whilst a blaze at a huge site in California was left to burn on the advice of fire experts.

Buck said people in Rushall had been "terrified" and were losing sleep since being told of the plans for land on the outskirts of their village.

"There's a high risk of them catching fire."

Fellow villager Nigel Webber said he "wanted to be able to support" a renewable energy project, but was deeply concerned about how emergency services could access such a development in a remote area.

"We're talking about one of the most dangerous, volatile, reactive elements on the planet."

Spain-based Elmya said the Dodd's Wood site would be able to store enough power for 60,000 homes for up to three days and "would make a significant contribution to energy security"

With 900MW capacity and batteries housed in 1,035 large containers, it would be significantly bigger than existing sites like the Drax facility in Yorkshire.

Development director James Innes insisted the project's safety was "paramount" and the company would be "following National Fire Chiefs Council guidance".

He added the company had sought feedback from 1,140 homes.

"We are now reviewing that feedback in order to create the final design of our scheme ahead of submitting a planning application."

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