Trina Solar 30MW UK storage plan rejected due to fire concerns

Councillors on the planning committee at Frome Town Council in Somerset in the UK have unanimously rejected Trina Solar’s planning application for a 30MW energy storage facility due to concerns about fire risk.

Chair of the planning committee, Cllr Steve Tanner, said the application had been rejected because there would be a “detrimental impact on the residential amenity” of local properties and the wider area. However he added that “despite assurances the committee was very concerned about the risk to public safety, not only the fire/thermal runaway but from the release of toxic gases both into the atmosphere or the nearby stream”.

However, Tanner said that the council acknowledged the need for battery storage in the town due to the fact that there is “not currently enough provision in the grid and that this is impacting new development as well as the supply to existing users”. 

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