Wexford County Council · County Council Meeting 11.05.26 · 11 May 2026
A vote on a motion about large-scale battery energy storage systems. It calls on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a regulatory framework for them, and asks the council's executive to examine a variation to the county development plan giving policy guidance on where they are sited and how they are assessed.
Summary written by AI from the minutes. The motion as recorded follows.
In supporting the delivery of renewable energy in line with national and EU policy, this Council recognises that Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) represent a distinct form of industrial infrastructure with specific safety, siting and operational considerations. For the avoidance of doubt, this motion relates to utility-scale or grid-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and not to small-scale or domestic battery storage associated with individual homes, farms or businesses. This Council notes the current absence of national planning, safety and emergency response standards governing the development of large-scale BESS, including guidance on appropriate siting, separation distances, fire safety, emergency response planning and water protection measures. The Council further recognises that this absence of standards creates uncertainty in the ability of the planning system to fully and consistently assess developments of this nature, scale and risk profile, particularly in rural areas with constrained infrastructure, limited emergency response capacity and sensitive environmental and water receptors. The Council acknowledges that in the absence of such standards, the assessment of large-scale BESS proposals requires careful consideration of site suitability, infrastructure capacity, environmental protection, public safety and cumulative impact, including the interaction of multiple developments within a given area. Pending the establishment of appropriate national standards, this Council calls on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to urgently provide a clear and comprehensive regulatory framework for BESS, including planning, safety and emergency response guidance. Furthermore, this Council requests the Executive to examine, as a matter of urgency, the preparation of a Variation to the County Development Plan to provide clear policy guidance on the siting and assessment of large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), having regard to the absence of national standards, and including consideration of appropriate locations, separation distances from residential areas and sensitive receptors, protection of water resources, emergency response capacity, access and infrastructure constraints, and cumulative impact.
Proposed by Cllr. M. Sheehan; seconded by Cllr. M. Murphy.
The minutes record: the Council resolved to carry the motion with twenty-one voting in favour, one voting against, and one abstention.
| Party | Tá | Níl | Staon | Didn't vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Fianna Fáil | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Fine Gael | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Sinn Féin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Labour Party | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aontú | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tá, Níl and Staon are the minutes’ for, against and abstained. “Didn’t vote” covers councillors on the council that day whom the minutes don’t list under any option, for any reason. Parties are as of the meeting day.