Project update 

A Section 36 application for the proposed Cockenzie Battery Energy Storage System was initially submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit in August 2023. The application is currently under consideration.

 

We are grateful to everyone who attended the public events and provided us with feedback.

 

We’ll update this site with new information from time to time, such as a new section below that addresses recent questions around fire safety.

 

Cockenzie BESS: comprehensive, robust safety measures 

Safety is our highest priority. Gresham House owns and operates 29 battery energy storage systems across Britain, with more in development. Since 2016, when the first became operational, none of the sites has ever experienced a fire safety failure.

The Cockenzie BESS has been designed with multiple, overlapping layers of safety that work together to monitor, detect, and prevent any risk of fire or smoke.

 

From early off-gas detection and temperature controls to active cooling and suppression systems, every component is engineered to stop an issue before it starts.

The site is fully equipped with robust containment and protection systems— water suppression, fire-resistant containers and deflagration vents—to ensure it’s quickly managed and doesn’t escalate.

Battery fires are extremely rare, but we take the risk seriously. As part of our section 36 application, we asked an independent fire safety assessor to ensure our battery storage fire safety design and systems were fully compliant with the National Fire Chiefs Council requirements. Additional safety features have also been incorporated into the fire safety system design.

 

The Cockenzie BESS fire safety system design and proposed future site safety management systems are based on the principle of preventing any battery fire from occurring on site.

Below we have summarised some of the main safety features, but you can read the full Battery Storage Safety Management Plan below:

 

Monitoring and prevention​

We will continuously monitor the condition of each battery cell and rack in every container. Any battery cell abnormality will be identified and monitored or switched off if required.

 

The site has been designed with multiple layers of safety built into every battery unit and across the wider infrastructure.

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Each container will have:

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• early off-gas detection (which identifies chemical signs of battery failure before heat or smoke is present)

• heat and smoke detectors

• internal cooling systems

• internal water suppression systems to prevent thermal runaway and reignition

• deflagration vents to safely vent pressure upwards

 

The containers will have a minimum of 60 minutes of fire resistance, and the spacing between containers has been verified as NFCC compliant. All battery containers will be spaced following NFCC guidance, away from any combustible material such as vegetation.

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The early warning system means that, should a risk be detected, safety measures will launch immediately and automatically. The containers will fill with water, which stops any smoke escaping and thoroughly cools the equipment, and they will be electrically isolated.

 

This minimises the risk of any thermal runaway and means any gas or fumes are trapped within water droplets inside the container - and don’t escape into the surrounding atmosphere.

All safety measures follow the latest guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council and associated international BESS test requirements, such as NFPA 855.

 

Water suppression

Each battery container will have its own automatic water suppression system. Liquid-based systems are far more effective than gas systems at cooling batteries and preventing re-ignition and ensuring the continued safe operation of the BESS.

The main water suppression system is designed to be capable of operating continuously for up to 12 hours, with enough on-site water storage to ensure both external fires and any container issue can be addressed simultaneously.

 

Water supply and access

The site fire hydrant supply will be sufficient for supplying the required flow rates as per the NFCC guidance requirements. The site will also have bulk water storage tanks with a capacity of 804,000 litres to provide an extra level of safety.

This site has multiple access points that will allow the entry of fire appliances and total access to the site for firefighting efforts. The access points are situated in such a way that fire services will not have to run a length of hose exceeding 60 metres from their point of connection (firefighting appliance/on-site hydrant).

 

Battery choice

We will use LFP battery technology, which is recognised as one of the safest lithium options on the market. These batteries are housed in containers with multiple built-in detection and suppression systems to catch any issue before it becomes a fire hazard.

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The LFP batteries used at this site will have been assessed in accordance with UL 9540A (testing the fire safety hazards associated with propagating thermal runaway within battery systems), according to the information given by the manufacturer.

 

Multilayered safety measures, minimal risk

While no system can ever claim zero risk, the Cockenzie BESS has been designed with such extensive, multi-layered safety measures that the likelihood of fire is extremely low. These features mean the local community can be confident that the system is safe and well protected.