Communities must not be ignored, says MSP amid Mey battery energy concerns

North politician Edward Mountain has said communities must not be ignored when renewable energy projects are planned in their area.

And he made it clear that he would be happy to meet campaigners who are opposing the Mey Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Caithness.

Mr Mountain was responding to claims from the Mey BESS Action Group that elected representatives were remaining silent on the issue.

The group had issued a statement saying: “Despite months of detailed warnings to politicians – including Edward Mountain MSP and Jamie Stone MP – not a single response has been received regarding the highly controversial Mey BESS proposal.”

It argued that the people of the county “deserve political representation that doesn’t vanish when accountability is most needed”.

Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) is proposing the battery energy scheme on agricultural land within a couple of miles of the Castle of Mey. SAE, which operates the nearby MeyGen tidal energy project, is planning 352 containerised battery units with a total export storage capacity of up to 300 MW.

Mr Mountain, a Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said: “I have long said that it is essential we do not sacrifice the Highlands on the altar of net-zero.

“I am aware of several issues which my constituents have highlighted to me in relation to the proposed BESS at Mey.

“The development of electricity infrastructure has real potential to threaten our natural environment, and local economies including tourism, which is an industry on which Highlanders depend for their livelihoods. The cumulative impact of these sorts of facilities being constructed across the Highlands is also not to be underestimated.

“Our communities need to be not only protected, but also properly compensated, when renewable projects are built in their area. The most important thing is that they are not ignored.

“I would therefore encourage SAE to address my constituents’ concerns – in detail, and with transparency – as soon as possible.

“I would also be delighted to meet members of the Mey BESS Action Group on my upcoming surgery tour, and I am in correspondence with them.”

Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: “My office has answered these concerns on a number of occasions and been as helpful as they can be.

“With regard to specific issues of proposed battery storage near Mey, I went on the record in the chamber of the House of Commons last month and said this: ‘In Caithness, we have only five fire stations, and they do not have enough personnel, let alone faintly enough water, to tackle such a fire. The authorities want to build a battery near the Castle of Mey where the King sometimes stays, but they haven’t got the troops to sort that one out, absolutely not.’

“In addition, I will be attending the meeting about this issue to be held in Beauly in August, where I shall have no hesitation highlighting the concerns of my constituents.”

There are fears that battery energy storage systems can pose a fire hazard.

Last month, Historic Environment Scotland was accused of “turning a blind eye” to the Mey BESS proposals.

The Mey BESS Action Group has 585 members on Facebook.

Speaking at the end of May, a spokesman for SAE said: “MeyGen is a world-first project, designed, built and operated in the north of Scotland. Mey BESS builds on that legacy by adding resilience, flexibility and storage.

“These are not threats to the landscape. They are part of the landscape of the future.

“We remain open to dialogue. But that dialogue must be grounded in fact, in shared responsibility, and in a willingness to find solutions.”

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