Question reference: S6W-20918
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 30 August 2023
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Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 September 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Energy Consents Unit assesses the potential impact on communities of battery storage sites that are to be built around them when approving or denying an application.
Answer
An applicant is expected to undertake pre application consultation prior to submission of an Electricity Act application for construction of a battery storage development. Such pre application allows local communities to have their say at an early stage, and the Scottish Ministers expect that a submitted application includes a report on how communities’ views have been taken into account through this process.
An application submitted for consideration by the Scottish Ministers must provide assessment of the potential impacts on the receiving environment and on local amenity and infrastructure. A public consultation is held, and members of the public are invited to make representations on the submitted application. Community councils in the vicinity of the proposal are consulted for their views on the potential impacts.
The application information, consultation responses and representations from members of the public are considered carefully before any decision is made on an application.