Concerns over Chernobyl-type disaster spark opposition to new energy facility in Carlow

Objections have been lodged to a planning application seeking 10-year permission for a battery energy storage system in the townlands of Gilbertstown and Bendinstown, County Carlow.

The application has been submitted by Ørsted Onshore Ireland Midco Limited, which began developing their first Irish solar farm at Garreenleen in 2024, is now seeking permission for a battery storage system to support the site.

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Planning permission was originally applied for on June 9, 2025, with additional information soug, in part due to "a number of third parties raising concerns".

The proposed development would comprise a battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure linked to the permitted Garreenleen Solar Farm.

Plans include a new internal access road of approximately 50 metres, a 33kV double-circuit underground grid connection to the permitted Bendinstown 110kV substation, modular office and welfare buildings, and six steel storage containers, along with all associated site development and reinstatement works.

A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been prepared and submitted as part of the planning application.

A number of objections have since been lodged with Carlow County Council in relation to the proposed development.

Objectors have raised concerns including potential visual and ecological harm, the potential devaluation of local properties and safety issues, with one objector citing what they described as "the risk of fire and explosions". Citing disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima "which were never meant to happen" but "did".

With one objector highlighted that there was no public information meeting held by Ørsted in regards to the proposed development. Other objections reference environmental, traffic or visual impact concerns.

Another local resident lodged concerns about the developments "incompatibility with local road infrastructure", they explained "the proposed site is accessed via narrow rural roads, and is not designd for regular heavy goods or construction traffic."

They stated that increased traffic to Garreeleen Phase 1 over the past three months has caused "distress on local residents" and expressed concern about Ørsted’s integrity in engaging with local communities describing it as "questionable".

The suitability of the "small rural" roads was also questioned as the widths of some of the proposed Haul Routes are a "minimum of 4.1 metres" which leaves "very little room for a car, pedestrian, or cyclist to remove themselves or to avoid potential collisions."

A separate objection raised detailed safety concerns in relation to fire risk at the proposed battery energy storage system, citing recent fires at similar facilities in Galway, Liverpool and California that resulted in evacuations and prolonged emergency responses.

The submission questioned the adequacy of the project’s fire risk assessment, claiming it does not set out clear emergency evacuation procedures for nearby residents or provide on-site water access for fire suppression.

The objector also raised concerns about potential environmental contamination, warning that fire-related runoff could enter nearby watercourses feeding into the River Burren and ultimately the River Barrow.

A submission or observation in relation to the application can be made in writing to the planning authority for a prescribed fee of €20.

Any submissions or observations in relation to this proposed development must be submitted by Wednesday February 4, with the final decision due on February 25, 2026.