The green belt battery storage compound was refused due to toxic gas explosion fears

Councilors have rejected plans for a massive battery storage complex that would “industrialize” the green belt north of Bristol amid fears of “toxic plumes of gas in a lithium explosion” near homes. But the fate of the proposed power station now rests in the hands of South Gloucestershire Council’s senior planning committee, as the decision went against officers’ advice to go ahead.

The 200 megawatt facility at Earthcott Green Farm, near Alveston, would store energy produced from renewable sources such as solar when it is most needed during the evening peak and could power 500,000 homes for two hours during a national grid outage. , preventing a power failure. It would have 176 battery storage containers, each 3m high and 6m long, a 15m communications tower, substation, transformers, 4m lighting/CCTV columns and a 2.5m perimeter fence which surrounds the six-hectare plot.

A planning officer told the development management committee that it would result in the “industrialization” of a rural area and was generally considered “inappropriate development” but that the public benefits outweighed the harm and recommended that permission be granted. But members rejected the deal by a 5-3 vote.

Read more:

Alveston Parish Councilor Marion Reeve told the meeting: “It’s not like a battery you put in a car, lithium is much more dangerous. The concern is that this is so close to residential properties – these people are at risk of toxic gases in a lithium explosion.

Try BristolLive Premium FREE with no ads and new features

“We’re not talking about a flashlight battery, we’re talking about something quite dangerous. You wouldn’t dream of putting a nuclear system 120 meters from houses.”

A 2020 fire at a battery energy storage system in Liverpool, which had 10 times less capacity than Earthcott Green’s proposed plant, took 59 hours to extinguish and created a “significant explosion”, they heard the counselors. Residents told the committee they would suffer from noise and light pollution that could also drive away protected species.

Robert Miles, chief executive and founder of Dursley-based Immersa Applicators, said: “I can unequivocally assure members that the technology proposed today is safe. Not only do we offer a different technology to the small number of reported incidents, but they are highly sophisticated, have numerous built-in safety systems, and are monitored 24 hours a day.

“The high-pressure gas that most of us have connected to our homes is more likely to explode and catch fire than the batteries we use.” He said there had been no objection from firefighters and the site, which has low-quality agricultural soil, was chosen because it was next to a huge substation that links the national and local power grids.

Both the council’s ecologist and landscape officer found the plans acceptable subject to conditions such as tree planting and hedgerows. But Cllr Paul Hughes (Conservative, Bitton & Oldland Common) said: “This is an absolutely inappropriate development in the green area. It has no justification.

“It’s a massive experiment that this country is going through with green energy – that people can put an industrial complex in the middle of the landscape is just incredible. Before we know it, half of South Gloucestershire will be covered in solar panels. I am absolutely furious about this.”

Cllr June Bamford (Conservative, Hanham) said: “I am unhappy with this application. Throughout the officer’s report we are told there will be damage to the green belt and heritage assets.

“This is a totally inappropriate development in the greenbelt, which outweighs any public benefits. This application is wholesale industrialization in the green area with these massive containers and associated structures.

“How many of these awful looking battery containers are we going to need in the green belt across the country?” She said officers assessed the site would still be visible from some points after 15 years of plant and tree growth.

Cllr Jayne Stansfield (Lib Dem, Thornbury) told the meeting on Thursday 9 May that the facility was “just a bigger version” of a house that runs on solar panels during the day and then batteries stored in the garage at night. The plans will now go to the zoning committee for a final decision.