The Scottish Government has been urged to consult national fire chiefs after a nine-tonne battery caught fire at a North East storage site.
Fire appliances from Inverurie and Oldmeldrum attended a blaze near Rothienorman in February. It is one of six at the proposed Blackford Energy Park.
The blaze followed a fire at a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Liverpool in 2020.
In response to parliamentary questions, Scottish Ministers said they have not discussed risks with the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett has now accused the SNP of “minimising” risks to personal safety.
The Scottish Government has ultimate responsibility for major energy planning applications and announced an £800 million BESS deal in January.
It later emerged the SNP government has approved more than 235 towering pylons, wind farms and battery storage developments but only rejected eight over the last three years amid concerns rural areas are becoming “industrial jungles”.
Scottish Conservative Mr Burnett said:
“Although ministers are keen to stress there has only been one incident so far, this technology is still in its early days.
“And BESS sites are being deployed at speed throughout the UK.
“It makes sense for a more empathetic approach, listening to communities and demonstrating that what went wrong at Rothienorman won’t happen again.
“With around 350 BESS proposals now in the planning system, these installations could have profound consequences, and yet the risks associated with them have not been fully addressed.
“Not only that, they are minimising the legitimate concerns people have.
“When there are 10 or 100 times the number of batteries being moved around Scotland, the public will expect Ministers to have bothered to consult the national body.
“When Scottish Fire and Rescue is already stretched to its limit, the risks cannot be left to chance.”
There have been significant local objections to industrial-scale battery farms across the North East.
In March, the Scottish Government overrode Aberdeen City Council to approve a facility at Countesswells in Aberdeen.
School bosses said the development near Cults would have seen 48 battery units within 12 cabinets, stating that a potential fire would put youngsters at risk of “potentially toxic vapour, fumes, or smoke.”
