The Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP, met with members of the Esclusham Community Group on Friday, 21st July to discuss their concerns over proposals to construct the world’s largest battery container storage park near Bersham, in the Esclusham ward of Wrexham County Borough Council.
The proposal, a joint project between Innova Renewables and Novus Renewable Services, would see over 700 battery storage containers built over 37 acres of land and linked to the nearby Legacy National Grid substation. It would store enough power to supply over 2.4 million homes for approximately 2 hours. The proposal is controversial within the ward, with the Esclusham Community Group having made clear their opposition to the proposals.
At a meeting at Rhostyllen Parish Hall, Mr Baynes was joined by the Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, Cllr Mark Pritchard, who also serves as the County Councillor for the Esclusham ward. They heard numerous concerns about the proposals from members of the group, including the threat to the safety of residents in the event of an explosion at the site, with members citing a similar incident in Grantham earlier this year. The Esclusham Community Group outlined to Mr Baynes and Cllr Pritchard that over 5.5 million litres of water may be needed to douse a fire caused by an explosion, and that this may place pressure on the fire service at Wrexham.
In addition to concerns about safety, the Group also outlined their concerns about the impact the proposal would have on the local environment and ancient monuments located at the site. The Group believe the project would have minimal benefit locally due to the lack of jobs that would be created and the noise pollution that would be caused.
Rhianna Jones, Secretary of the Esclusham Community Group, provided the following quote on behalf of the group:
"This proposal places profit over people, and would be detrimental to both our community and our surrounding green land. These battery storage facilities are in no way sustainable or a form of green energy, as advertised by this company, and are ultimately a ticking time bomb. Across the world, facilities smaller than this are catching fire and emitting toxic fumes into the atmosphere. A fire or explosion at such a facility as this, which if approved would be the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world, would not only place the lives of our local community in danger, but also our local fire service, hospitals, and police officers who would be put at risk in order to manage such a catastrophic incident. The proposed plans would be a blight on our landscape, of no benefit to our community, and a danger to our and future generations’ lives."
Mr Baynes commented:
“The Esclusham Community Group have raised legitimate concerns about the proposals. Each of these batteries would contain enormous amounts of electricity, and so the risk that the site poses to the local community in the event of an accident is deeply worrying. I am very keen to support the Esclusham Community Group and local residents in voicing their concerns both locally and at a national level in the House of Commons.”
