Concerns over location of battery storage units sparks call for guidelines

"A new phenomenon” of battery storage units is worrying communities because of their proximity to houses, Cork County Council has heard.

An 8.5 megawatt hour battery storage facility in Stephenstown, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. Picture: Shane O’Neill, Coalesce

A new policy is to be developed by Cork County Council on where battery storage units can be located in the region, following a major increase in planning applications and concerns raised about their safety.

Council bosses have agreed to help provide a comprehensive ‘planning policy’ on such developments, as they are not as clear-cut as those dealing with wind and solar farms.