Cleve Hill Solar Park is set to be the largest solar farm in Europe when it’s up and running. So Graveney residents are right to have concerns.
Battery units are due to be delivered to the site between June-July in containers on HGVs; the safety of these batteries has been a worry since the start and an area I’ve pushed for reassurances on for years now. Since my Westminster Hall debate on Cleve Hill, I’ve now secured a face-to-face meeting with the Energy Minister to discuss battery safety specifically.
According to Cleve Hill, they’re working to ensure that all obligations within the Battery Safety Management Plan are met before the batteries arrive and will continue to be met once they are delivered and installed on site. And according to the Minister (in a letter responding to me) there are four organisations with shared responsibility for this: the Health & Safety Executive, Kent Fire & Rescue, Swale Borough Council and the Environment Agency. But it was not clear who exactly is responsible for what, when and how. I want clarity from the Minister on this.
In the meantime, I wrote again to the Health and Safety Executive, Environment Agency, Kent Fire and Rescue and Swale Borough Council for a clear outline of the necessary steps they’ll take to ensure the safety of the batteries before they are switched on. I’ve also tabled Parliamentary questions asking why it is taking so long to receive responses from them.
Cleve Hill are holding public information events on the construction and operational Emergency Response Plans before any batteries arrive. These will be held in Graveney Village Hall; Wednesday 30 April 4.00pm - 8.00pm and Thursday 8 May 4.30pm- 8.00pm. I’d encourage people to go and share their concerns and see if they are satisfied with any reassurances given, and I will be keeping you updated on any replies I receive from the responsible bodies, as well as on how my meeting with the Energy Minister goes.
