New Report: The Unknown Risks of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Scotland

• 20 October 2025
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Published: 20 October 2025 – Edition 1
By: ObjectNow – campaigns@objectnow.co.uk

Scotland’s Green Future Demands Transparency

ObjectNow has released a technical report titled “Battery Energy Storage Systems – The Unknown Risks”

This extensive investigation exposes the unregulated hazards, environmental uncertainties, and public safety concerns surrounding the rapid rollout of industrial-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across Scotland.

Drawing upon scientific evidence, regulatory analysis, and first-hand correspondence with emergency services and agencies, the report reveals how current approval processes have failed to ensure adequate containment, fire suppression, and emission control standards for these facilities.

Without comprehensive regulation and proper environmental safeguards, Scotland risks replacing one form of pollution with another.

Key Findings (limited list):

• Lack of Regulation: BESS units are being approved under frameworks that do not recognise their classification as hazardous chemical installations.
• Public Safety Risks: No requirement currently exists for sealed or ventilated containment structures to prevent the release of toxic gases in a thermal runaway event.
• Regulatory Gaps: Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are frequently bypassed or insufficiently scoped.
• Ethical and Global Concerns: The lithium and cobalt supply chains behind these systems are linked to severe labour exploitation and ecological degradation abroad.
• Emergency Response Deficiency: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and local authorities remain under-equipped to manage large-scale energy storage fires.

ObjectNow’s Position

ObjectNow is formally calling on the Scottish Government, the Energy Consents Unit (ECU), and the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) to suspend all approvals and consents for new BESS developments until a verified and enforceable national safety standard is established.

No BESS project should proceed without:

1. Fully engineered containment buildings capable of isolating and filtering chemical gases.
2. A comprehensive EIA and fire propagation study reviewed by independent safety engineers.
3. Evidence of supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing compliance.

To continue approving such developments without these safeguards knowingly places communities, first responders, and ecosystems at risk.

A Turning Point for Energy Policy

Scotland’s renewable future must be built on honesty, science, and precaution — not expediency.
This report urges policymakers to align Scotland’s clean energy ambitions with its environmental protection duties under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the Aarhus Convention.

Access the Full Report

📘 Download the full technical report:

Battery Energy Storage Systems: The Unknown Risks (October 2025 – Edition 1)

Download The Techinal Report Here (PDF)

ObjectNow will continue to monitor emerging BESS proposals and regulatory developments across Scotland.