Action group hires specialist in fight against battery site

RESIDENTS opposed to the construction of a battery energy storage site (BESS) in the town have engaged the services of a planning consultant to aid their fight against the plans.

The action group Stop Frome BESS say that the proposed facility, which would sit just 32 metres from the nearest home at land North of Styles Close, poses a risk to the safety of residents and they are encouraging local people to sign a petition calling for Somerset Council to reject the plans.

Developer Trina Solar UK Holdco Ltd have submitted plans for a facility with a capacity of around 30mw which would store excess energy so it can then be used for future consumption. They say it would store excess electricity such as solar, but STOP Frome BESS members dispute this and say that the facility could store excess energy purchased cheaply and directly from the National Grid, mainly fossil fuel, so it could be resold at a higher rate for future consumption.

Frome Town Council has already objected to the plans on the grounds that the proposed site is too close to homes and poses a risk to public safety from a potential fire, and that the National Fire Chief Council say there are issues with access, with the distance between the units from each other and the houses, and with the fire suppression system that will be used.

Serious concerns

Stop Frome BESS members say that they have “serious concerns” over the plans

A fire in October last year, which took place at the electricity substation that was already at the site has raised even more concerns over the developer’s ability to eliminate the risk of an incident with the facility.

“We have serious concerns about fire brigade trying to deal with this,” a member said. “A recent fire in the proposed site demonstrated that the fire service will not enter until SSE arrive from Bristol and then couldn’t enter the field due to electricity dangers – this is the exact sloping field they wish to develop.

“If the site did catch fire, a huge amount of water would be needed to cool the other batteries during thermal runway. However, as there are no water tanks on site to store the contaminated water it would drain away and contaminate the nearby stream.

“We are also concerned that a fire at the BESS would impact the adjacent electricity substation which will knock out the electricity for Frome, outlying villages and even as far as Warminster. This plan offers nothing for Frome – no jobs, no employment, no benefits.”

Objections

In the group’s written objection they say, “It is noted that the applicant has submitted information which sets out the approach to fire mitigation and suppression in the event that there is a loss of control and resultant thermal runaway at the site, most likely, a fire. However, it is self-evident that even with these measures, there is no way that the applicant can eliminate the risk of an event happening entirely.

“A voltage spike recently set fire to a wood pylon on site, which resulted in three explosive events on the same night. The wood pylon was situated close to a nearby hedge, which runs along the eastern edge of the field. The concern is that if a similar event were to happen that fire could spread to the proposed BESS and then onwards to the electrical substation and properties in Styles Close.”

The group also has concerns that, in the event of a fire, lithium-iron-phosphate battery technology that the developer has proposed to use are not easily extinguishable and would need to burn out before they can be dealt with, known as thermal runway.

The group’s objection continued, “There are concerns regarding the potential risks arising from air pollution in the event of thermal runaway. The approach adopted at Liverpool (an incident where a similar site caught fire and took 59 hours to extinguish) was to douse water on the battery storage containers next to the one that caught on fire to prevent conflagration. This was for a significant period of time given that the fire had to ‘burn itself out.’ As such, and in addition to the water contamination concerns, this means that there is a significant potential for air pollution. It has been shown that if BESS catch alight, they will release highly toxic and flammable gases.

“Given the proximity of the properties on Styles Close, and the effects of a loss of control event at the BESS, this is a significant consideration which gives rise to health and safety concerns for the local residents and will seriously impact on their amenity.”

For more information, visit the group’s website https:// stopfrome bess.uk. To sign the petition visit https://www.change. org/p/stop-frome-battery-energy-storage-site-bess?source_location=search. If you would like to add to the fundraiser, visit www.gofundme. com/f/stop-frome-bess-save-frome