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Grid-scale battery energy storage systems

This page helps those with responsibilities during the life-cycle of battery energy storage systems (BESS) know their duties.

They can include:

  • designers
  • installers
  • operators

Health and safety responsibilities

If you design, install or operate BESS, you have a legal responsibility to comply with health and safety legislation, including:

If you comply with these regulations you will manage the health and safety risks of BESS.

Planning permission

Planning permission for BESS is a matter for local planning authorities. To find out if your project will need planning permission, contact your local planning authority (LPA) through your local council[78].

Each nation in Great Britain has its own responsibility for planning policy:

HSE has a limited role in the planning process. We should only be consulted by developers and local authorities on planning proposals that appear to fall within known consultation zones around:

  • major hazard establishments
  • major accident hazard pipelines
  • licensed explosives sites

Find out more about HSE’s role in land use planning[82].

Environmental protection

Environmental issues (including if a permit for emissions and discharges for BESS is required) are a matter for the following:

Notifying your fire and rescue service

Under the Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulations[86], if you are an operator of a BESS site which holds 25 tonnes or more of dangerous substances, you must notify your local fire and rescue service to inform their emergency response planning.

Find your fire service on:

Link URLs in this page

  1. Electrical safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/index.htm
  2. Overview - Introductionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/precautions.htm
  3. Work near electricityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/nearelectric.htm
  4. Excavation and underground serviceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/excavations.htm
  5. Overhead power lineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/overhead.htm
  6. Work using electrically powered equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/electricequip.htm
  7. Work on electrical equipment, machinery or installationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/withequip.htm
  8. Maintaining electrical equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/safety.htm
  9. Electricity in potentially explosive atmosphereshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive.htm
  10. Overview - HSE electrical safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/hse.htm
  11. How we work https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/how.htm
  12. Who we are https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/who.htm
  13. Contactshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/contacts.htm
  14. Electrical injurieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/injuries.htm
  15. Standards and codes of practicehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/standards.htm
  16. Electrical safety FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq.htm
  17. Overview - Electricity in potentially explosive atmospheres FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/index.htm
  18. General, guidance and enforcement issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/general.htm
  19. Definitionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/definitions.htm
  20. Interpretationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/interpretation.htm
  21. Technical standardshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/standards.htm
  22. Existing equipment issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/existing.htm
  23. Imported productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/imported.htm
  24. General issues and informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/issues.htm
  25. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/lpg.htm
  26. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/index.htm
  27. General health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/general.htm
  28. Inspection & testinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/testing.htm
  29. Maintenancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/maintenance.htm
  30. Constructionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/construction.htm
  31. Farming/forestryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/agriculture.htm
  32. Public placeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/public.htm
  33. Potentially explosive atmosphereshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/explosive.htm
  34. The lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/law.htm
  35. Other workplaceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/other.htm
  36. Linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/links.htm
  37. Overview - Accident case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/experience.htm
  38. Overview - Overhead power lineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/index.htm
  39. Lorry driver suffers burnshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/lorry.htm
  40. Failing to warn driver of overhead lineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/farmer.htm
  41. Failure to isolate power supplyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/isolate.htm
  42. Erecting a lighting towerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/under.htm
  43. Scaffolding contacting overhead linehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/scaffold.htm
  44. Moving tower scaffoldhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/painters.htm
  45. Overview - Electrical maintenancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/index.htm
  46. Changing an electrodehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/electrode.htm
  47. Touching live equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/touch.htm
  48. Incorrectly wired appliancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/appliance.htm
  49. Insulating live wireshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/insulate.htm
  50. Faulty air conditioning unithttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/aircondition.htm
  51. Live electrical panelhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/panel.htm
  52. Supply not been properly isolatedhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/isolate.htm
  53. Injuries result in amputationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/amputation.htm
  54. Switchgear not isolatedhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/switchgear.htm
  55. Induction heat treatment machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/heart.htm
  56. Poorly constructed equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/testing.htm
  57. Pressure water washing machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/washingmachine.htm
  58. Metal fencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/fence.htm
  59. Incorrectly wiring a machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/wiring.htm
  60. Mail wrapping machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/mail.htm
  61. Overview - Excavationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/index.htm
  62. Cable locatorhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/locator.htm
  63. Road breakerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/roadbreaker.htm
  64. Pneumatic impact molehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/mole.htm
  65. Pneumatic breakerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/breaker.htm
  66. Jackhammerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/jackhammer.htm
  67. Breaking concretehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/concrete.htm
  68. Gas pipes and electrical cableshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/digger.htm
  69. Overview - Ignition of potentially explosive atmosphereshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive/index.htm
  70. Removing paint in a yachthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive/paint.htm
  71. Cleaning electric stirrerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive/clean.htm
  72. Health and Safety at Work Acthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm
  73. Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/dsear-regulations.htm
  74. Electricity at Work Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsr25.htm
  75. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (on legislation.gov.uk)https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/contents/made
  76. Construction Design and Management Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm
  77. Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsr29.htm
  78. contact your local planning authority (LPA) through your local councilhttps://www.gov.uk/find-local-council
  79. planning policy in England (on GOV.UK)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2
  80. planning policy in Scotland (on mygov.scot)https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-planning-policy/pages/2/
  81. planning policy in Wales (on GOV.Wales)https://www.gov.wales/planning-policy-wales
  82. Find out more about HSE’s role in land use planninghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/landuseplanning/what.htm
  83. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (on GOV.UK)https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
  84. Scottish Government (on mygov.scot)https://www.mygov.scot/
  85. Welsh Government (on GOV.Wales)https://www.gov.wales/
  86. Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsr29.htm
  87. Fire Englandhttps://fireengland.uk/your-fire-and-rescue-service/find-your-service
  88. Scottish Fire and Rescue Servicehttps://www.firescotland.gov.uk/contact-us/find-a-fire-station/#:~:text=Find%20out%20where%20your%20nearest%20station%20is%2C%20and,station%20is%2C%20and%20how%20to%20get%20in%20touch.
  89. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Servicehttps://www.mawwfire.gov.uk/eng/
  90. South Wales Fire and Rescue Servicehttps://www.southwales-fire.gov.uk/
  91. North Wales Fire and Rescue Servicehttps://www.northwalesfire.gov.wales/
  92. Guidance on working on electrical equipment, machinery or installationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/withequip.htm
  93. Grid scale electrical energy storage systems: health and safety (on GOV.UK)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grid-scale-electrical-energy-storage-systems-health-and-safety
  94. Guidance on managing health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/managing/index.htm

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Updated 2025-02-04