Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, has expressed his opposition to the proposed 57-acre, 400MW battery energy storage system (BESS) facility near Chickerell. In a letter sent to the Lead Project Officer at Dorset Council today, the local MP cites his concerns with the fire safety of lithium-ion batteries; the proximity of the site to developed residential area; and the visual impact on the surrounding countryside.
The proposed BESS facility is the smaller part of a £300 million application made by the energy firm, Statera, in 2022. Mr Loder has already successfully opposed the firm’s planned mega solar-farm, which if passed, would have spanned 1,300 acres of land between Buckland Ripers and Friar Waddon. Speaking about the BESS facility, Mr Loder said:
“I am opposed to a scheme on this scale, which carries many risks. It is evident that such a large BESS facility is designed to serve a future solar park, which has already cause immense concern amongst the local community, and I continue to be opposed to any such plans.”
