PROTEST: Angry locals protest outside County Buildings in Tralee on Monday over plans for a large battery storage compound in Ballydesmond.

By Sean Moriarty

Over 80 east Kerry locals fighting the construction of a wind turbine battery storage site staged a protest outside Kerry County Council offices in Tralee on Monday, to highlight their fears over a planned battery storage compound in Ballydesmond.

Kerry County Council has given planning permission to Redfaze Limited to build 40battery units, transformers and associated equipment.

Angry and frustrated locals from the Gneeveguilla, Knocknagree, Scartaglin, Kiskeam and the Newmarket areas, who have lodged an appeal against the planning permission for the facility on health and safety grounds with An Bord Pleanala,say that they fear that the batteries are potentially at high risk of going on fire, resulting in toxic smokewhich would lead to an evacuation of a 10 mile radius in the area.

“Since Monday’s protest we have received emails and phone calls from groups all over the country with similar issues,” concerned local Anita O’Sullivan said. “We have lodged the appeal but these things cost money so our next move is to raise funds to keep the momentum going. We will keep pushing and we are fully committed to fighting this to the end. I did a head count and there was between 80 and 90 people there. It was a silent protest but a lot of councillors stopped to talk to us when they came out of the building.”