A FAIRLIE man who demanded more clarity over fire prevention measures for a proposed battery energy facility at Hunterston says he STILL isn't happy with the responses he's received.
Renewable energy developers Amp Energy announced plans in 2022 for a 'Scottish Green Battery Complex' at Hunterston.
It's one of two Amp Energy sites which are each set to provide 400 megawatt hours (MWh) of battery storage capacity, the other being at Kincardine in Fife.
David Telford, a member of Fairlie Community Council, spoke to the News recently about his concerns around safety measures for the plant, saying he believed Am Energy's fire safety proposalw were "too generic".
He raised his concerns after fires at battery recycling facilities in Kilwinning in April and in Linwood last month, as well as at a lithium battery factory in South Korea on June 24 in which 23 people died.
The News put Mr Telford's concerns to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Government's energy consents unit, North Ayrshire Council, and the Health and Safety Executive.
And Mr Telford said he is still not satisfied with the responses.
The government and HSE both said they were not responsible for fire safety oversight at the proposed facility.
In response to Mr Telford's original concerns, Group Commander Gavin Hammond is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's head of fire safety enforcement and fire engineering, said: "We have a bespoke working group in place which covers electrical and battery safety.
"This include various stakeholders and assists in a number of workstreams, including the planning and consultation process for battery energy storage systems (BESS).
"When we receive information about proposed BESS sites we refer those involved in any application process to the National Fire Chief Council's best practice guidance for such sites.
"These guidelines detail, amongst other things, minimum standards with fire safety systems and design features, water requirements for firefighting and access requirements.
"If the requirements set out in this guidance are not being met, it is for any site developer to provide justification and associated mitigation and thereafter for the local authority and/or the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit to make decisions with regard to approving the consent."
A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “The council has no statutory or regulatory control over the operational fire safety aspects of the battery storage site.
“It is our understanding that the documents in relation to fire safety, which are referred to in the background section of the consent letter issued by the Scottish Government, are to be submitted directly to their Energy Consents Unit by Amp Energy.
“The council is not involved in this process and is unaware of the timescales for the submission."
A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said: "The fire risk safety assessment is part of the planning process and is dealt with by the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit.
"HSE is not a statutory consultee in relation to fire safety under the Electricity Act 1989."
The Scottish Government stated: "If a consent is granted for an electricity generating facility, that facility will have to be designed, constructed, and operated in accordance with relevant health and safety legislation, and, as appropriate, operated under regulations pertaining to electrical safety."
Mr Telford said: "This is a serious situation, and it is being swept under the carpet. We are talking about one of the largest grid-connected battery storage facilities in Europe.
"If that thing was to goes on fire, where is the dedicated water supply - we would need all sorts of arrangements for fighting it.
"It isn't really a fire either, it would be an out of control chemical reaction, and you can't really put it out with just water.
"If it all goes wrong, who is responsible? I have been trying to find out for months and have spoken to all these organisations about fire protection measures and can't get a clear answer.
"Someone needs to take a grip of it and inform the community how a major fire is going to be caught - I personally think it could be as bad as an incident at a nuclear power station.
"At least with a nuclear power station it is under some sort of control. Nobody seems to be bothering their shirt regarding this."
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