Wexford fire service admits it does not have ‘necessary training’ to deal with fires at 300-acre solar farm
Wexford PeopleA member of the Wexford County Fire Service has admitted that staff have received no training to deal with fires at large-scale solar farms.
With a 300-acre farm in Gusserane having recently received planning permission from Wexford County Council (WCC), Councillor Pat Barden has asked just what actions would be taken if the battery energy storage system (BESS) - containing 79 battery storage modules, 19 transformer and power conditioning units - at the farm was to catch fire.
Speaking at the July meeting of the New Ross Municipal District (NRMD) Cllr Barden asked a senior member of the fire service if they had the “necessary training” to put out a fire of this nature.
“The short answer is no,” came the response. “The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) is reviewing fire safety in relation to BESS; at the moment it’s using the guidelines from the UK.
“However, Energy Storage Ireland has engaged with a consultant to draft our own guidelines in relation to installation and commission of BESS.”
Explaining what actions they would take if called to a fire at a solar farm, the fire officer said the guidance from the manufacturers is “not to put water on a BESS” which he said was “very counterintuitive to our job”.
“You have to isolate it and let it burn off,” he continued. “It’s an isothermic reaction between a chemical and oxygen and we can’t physically stop it. If we use water it will contaminate it and it will take twice as long to put out.”
In June, WCC approved a planning application from Gen7 for the Shelburne Energy Farm in Gusserane in the west of the county. The farm will consist of panels on ground mounted frames at a maximum height of 4m, 17 transformer centres, a substation, four meteorological centres, a battery energy storage system (BESS), and a well and a pump house. The solar farm has a 40-year operational licence.
The application was the subject of over 200 objections from local residents and has now been appealed to An Coimisúin Pleanála.