The need for large-scale energy storage has been underlined as the UK Government set out its plans to support the industry.
However, concerns have been raised around scale and safety of storage facilities including lithium battery parks.
Jane Forbes, a resident at Cochno Road near Clydebank, where the group Save Our Countryside is raising awareness of one development, told The Herald: “We’ve tried to spread the word so that other people know what’s happening for something as big as this.
“We live directly across the road from where the proposed site would be. The access to it will be adjacent to the end of our garden. Cochno Road mainly is a single track road with pulling in passing places for other cars to get past.
“One of the worst things for us will be when they are building, with the amount of traffic that it would involve coming up and down the road.”
The site would cover an area of interest that includes a "druid stone".
The developer there, Apatura, said while there was “no requirement for consultation”, it “followed Energy Consents Unit Good Practice Guidance in delivering two public consultation events”.
There are wider concerns around lithium storage, though.
READ MORE:
- Part One: Scotland powers towards new hydro energy revolution
- Part Two: Entrepreneur sells £1bn Scottish hydro plan to energy giant
- Part Three: Hidden cost of new multi-billion pound energy powerhouses
- All you need to know about the new hydro energy revolution
- European energy giant hails Scottish hydro 'renaissance'
Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Battery storage is vital for upgrading our energy systems and reducing our climate emissions. Lithium is a key component of these batteries, and mining for lithium is causing serious harm in places like Chile and Australia. The Scottish and UK Governments must ensure that the way we are using materials like this is fair to the communities where it is extracted and environmentally sustainable.
“It’s crucial that we reduce demand for lithium elsewhere in our economy, for example by improving public transport systems so fewer new electric cars are needed as we move away from fossil-fuelled transport and by making companies improve the lifespan of our electronics. We also need to improve recycling for lithium - at the moment, this doesn’t happen anywhere in the UK.”
A spokesman for the renewables company ILI Group said: "While lithium sourcing is indeed a critical issue, it's important to note that this extends beyond just energy storage to all applications using lithium-ion batteries, including electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Many leading battery manufacturers, including those we work with, are actively addressing these concerns through responsible sourcing initiatives, improved traceability, and investments in recycling technologies. As an industry, we're committed to continual improvement in sustainability practices."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel