Plans lodged for battery firm near A47 on outskirts of Norwich
Greenfield Energy Developments has lodged the plans with South Norfolk Council for the site close to the A47, between the village of Keswick and the Harford Park and Ride.The Bess, on land east of Mulbarton Road, would hold up to 400MW of electricity in 166 containers.Norfolk could become the biggest solar energy producer in the country if a handful of major schemes go ahead and it is expected that new battery storage sites will be required to support these.However, Bess proposals have also promted worries about potential fire risks because of the lithium within the batteries, which can cause an explosion when overheated.County councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of writing to Mr Miliband about the fire safety concerns, although the Green group warned about "scaremongering".A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokeswoman told the BBC: "Battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK and we already have high safety standards in place to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan."The Keswick plans would include a cooling and fire protection system and a fire suppression system.
The plans state that the energy storage units will be almost 2.9m (9.5ft) in height due to having noise reducing units on top of them.However, the scheme remains in the early stages and its developers are seeking guidance from South Norfolk Council about the potential environment impact.Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service has already responded to the plans advising that a series of conditions are put in place, including safe distances between units and the need for an access route for fire vehicles.The project has emerged after plans for a similar scheme in Rushall, near Diss, were withdrawn without explanation last month amid a host of objections.That project was for a site five times the size, about 92 acres (37.5 hectares), for 1,035 units which could store up to 900 megawatts of electricity.
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