The attached document specifies the concerns of the 7000Acres campaign group to a major battery installation proposal, Outline Battery Storage Safety Management Plan – PINS reference: EN010132.

EN010132-001174-7000 Acres – Written Representations (WR) 2

Executive Summary

There have been over 30 recorded serious thermal runaways in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) worldwide. In 2020 a 20 MWh BESS in Liverpool took over 11 hours to contain and resulted in an explosion and release of toxic gasses.

The Outline Battery Storage Safety Management Plan does not identify and mitigate all the hazards associated with a BESS thermal runaway. Instead it primarily refers to BESS fires, which is a different chemical process.

The Outline Battery Storage Safety Management Plan, ES Chapter 17: Air Quality, and Appendix 17.4 do not identify the toxic emissions that would be released in the event of a thermal runaway.

The Applicant has failed to take account of the large volume of water required to contain a BESS thermal runaway. The on-site storage identified by the Applicant is insufficient for a major incident. The volume of water quoted is only sufficient to douse a thermal runaway in two Tesla car sized batteries.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) recommends a separation distance of 6m (National Fire Chiefs Council, 2022) between enclosures. ED Appendix 4.1 Engineering Drawings and Sections appear to show the battery containers closely packed. The spacing of the BESS enclosures is critical in preventing a chain reaction. The current design does not meet the NFCC recommendations.

Recommendations have been made on how the safety of the BESS should be improved.

Cubico’s application for the Rossendale BESS

The fire referred to is described here:

https://favershamsociety.org/battery-explosion-and-fire-in-liverpool/

took 11 hours to contain. The BESS proposed here is over 4x the size.

We have already identified a large number of problems having read the scoping document for the proposed Rossendale BESS and will be monitoring this proposal in line with the concerns raised by 7000 acres. Our key concern is that the possibility of thermal runaway is not mentioned or discussed in terms of how it would be handled. Given the location adjacent to Rochdale Road near the existing sub-station, the impact of a thermal runaway would be severe, potentially releasing highly poisonous gas over a large area. As well as closing this major road, nearby farms and other inhabitants in nearby Turn Village  could be put in severe danger.