The Task and Finish Group - BESS Safety met to agree its terms of reference and decide upon the next steps in its work.

Safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The group was to hear from the Major Applications Team Leader and Team Manager of Building Control and to agree the next steps in its work.

The Terms of Reference for the group, which were scheduled to be agreed at the meeting, state that it will:

review the processes and guidance for the assessment of existing and new developments for large scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

— Terms of Reference

The group will gather information on existing processes from:

• Officers at Horsham District Council.
• Outside agencies such as West Sussex Fire and Rescue.
• Other organisations such as the Fire Protection Association and BRE Group.¹

The group was scheduled to review case studies of incidents with BESS establishments and how those sites could be better managed, and to develop guidance for planning officers to ensure that West Sussex Fire and Rescue and other agencies have sufficient information about proposed developments.

Finally, the group was scheduled to establish a register of local BESS installations, to be jointly held by WSFRS and HDC, which would identify missing information, and detail any actions being taken to gather it.