Lithium-ion battery storage is not governed by one standalone UK regulation. Depending on the application, duties can arise under health and safety, electrical, fire, planning and environmental legislation. DSEAR, the Electricity at Work Regulations and general risk-assessment duties can apply, while BESS projects are also supported by government, fire-service and technical standards. Separate requirements apply to waste and damaged batteries.
No. There is currently no single regulation called the “Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Regulations” that establishes one universal storage design for every workplace.
Instead, the requirements depend on what the batteries are being used for and the risks involved.
Important distinctions include whether batteries are:
The correct safety measures should therefore be determined from the battery chemistry, quantity, energy capacity, condition, state of charge, activity and location involved.
The Health and Safety Executive identifies several pieces of legislation that can apply to the design, installation and operation of grid-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems in Great Britain.
These include:
Not every requirement will apply in exactly the same way to every battery store or BESS installation.
DSEAR can be relevant where lithium-ion battery storage, charging or operation creates risks from dangerous substances, particularly fire or explosion hazards.
Lithium-ion cells contain significant stored electrical energy and can generate flammable and hazardous gases if they fail or enter thermal runaway.
A DSEAR assessment may therefore need to consider:
DSEAR should be applied according to the dangerous-substance risks actually identified rather than assuming that every lithium-ion battery installation has the same hazardous-area classification.
See our DSEAR Regulations 2002 guide for further information.
Thermal runaway is an uncontrolled self-heating process that can occur when a lithium-ion cell becomes unstable.
Possible initiating events include:
As the cell temperature increases, internal reactions can generate further heat and gases. A failing cell can then heat adjacent cells, potentially allowing thermal runaway to propagate through a module, pack or group of stored batteries.
Storage design should therefore consider both preventing an initial failure and limiting escalation if a battery does fail.
Battery storage should be based on a site-specific risk assessment rather than a single generic storage rule.
Relevant factors can include:
The controls required for a small tool-battery charging area may be very different from those required for industrial battery packs or a grid-scale BESS facility.
Yes. Charging can introduce additional electrical and thermal risks compared with passive storage.
A charging assessment may need to consider:
Damaged batteries should not simply be placed on charge unless their condition has been properly assessed and the manufacturer’s procedures allow it.
Damaged, swollen, overheating or otherwise defective lithium-ion batteries present a different risk from batteries known to be in normal condition.
Organisations should have procedures for identifying and isolating suspect batteries before they can affect other batteries or combustible materials.
Depending on the circumstances, controls can include:
Transport of damaged or defective lithium batteries is separately regulated and may require specialist dangerous-goods packaging and transport arrangements.
BS EN IEC 62485-5:2021 is a current British Standard covering the safe operation of stationary lithium-ion secondary batteries and battery installations.
It forms part of the BS EN IEC 62485 series of safety requirements for secondary batteries and battery installations.
The standard addresses safety considerations associated with stationary lithium-ion batteries, including hazards arising from the batteries and their installation.
It is a technical standard rather than a standalone piece of UK legislation.
Whether it is applicable should be determined from the type and purpose of the battery installation.
PAS 63100:2024 is a British specification titled Electrical installations – Protection against fire of battery energy storage systems for use in dwellings.
It establishes fire-safety requirements for small-scale electrical energy storage systems using stationary secondary batteries in domestic dwellings.
It addresses areas including:
PAS 63100 is important, but its scope should not be misunderstood. It is primarily aimed at small-scale systems in domestic dwellings, not large commercial or grid-scale lithium-ion storage facilities.
PAS 63100:2024 is based on the principle that, where practicable, storage batteries associated with dwellings should be installed outdoors and away from habitable rooms.
Where indoor installation is necessary, the specification includes requirements dealing with matters such as ventilation, fire separation, detection and unsuitable installation locations.
These provisions relate specifically to the scope of PAS 63100 and should not be copied directly onto unrelated industrial battery-storage projects without a suitable assessment.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published Health and safety in grid scale electrical energy storage systems in April 2024.
For the purposes of that guidance, grid-scale systems are assumed to have an installed capacity of approximately 1 MW or greater.
The guidance is primarily targeted at lithium-ion battery systems and considers safety throughout the complete project lifecycle, including:
The document brings together legislation, standards and industry guidance. It is good-practice guidance rather than a separate battery-storage regulation.
Government guidance recommends considering emergency response arrangements from the design and planning stage of a grid-scale BESS project.
Early engagement with the local Fire and Rescue Service can help establish matters such as:
Emergency arrangements should continue to be reviewed throughout the operating life of the installation.
The National Fire Chiefs Council publishes Grid Scale Energy Storage System Planning – Guidance for Fire and Rescue Services.
A revised version was approved for publication in December 2025, replacing the earlier NFCC guidance.
The guidance is intended to help fire and rescue services, planners and BESS developers consider fire and emergency-response issues associated with grid-scale energy storage.
It should be treated as fire-service planning and risk-management guidance rather than legislation.
Early consultation with the local Fire and Rescue Service is advisable for relevant BESS developments.
Planning permission for Battery Energy Storage Systems is determined through the planning system rather than by HSE.
In England, government planning guidance states that where planning permission is sought for a lithium-ion BESS with an energy capacity of 1 MWh or more, excluding systems associated with a residential dwelling, applicants are encouraged to engage with the local Fire and Rescue Service before submitting the application.
This allows matters including site location, emergency access and the potential consequences of thermal runaway to be considered at an early stage.
Local planning authorities are also encouraged to consult the relevant Fire and Rescue Service when determining such applications.
Potentially. The Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulations 1990, commonly known as NAMOS, can apply where a site holds 25 tonnes or more of dangerous substances.
HSE specifically advises BESS operators that where this threshold is met, the local Fire and Rescue Service must be notified in writing to support emergency-response planning.
Required site signage must also be provided where the Regulations apply.
The threshold relates to dangerous substances covered by the Regulations and should not simply be interpreted as meaning every site containing 25 tonnes of battery equipment automatically qualifies.
Yes. In May 2026, the Environment Agency published new Waste batteries: appropriate measures for permitted facilities guidance.
This is particularly important for regulated facilities in England that have an environmental permit to treat or transfer separate collections of waste batteries.
It applies to facilities including Approved Battery Treatment Operators and other permitted facilities storing or treating waste batteries.
It should not be interpreted as applying automatically to every business that stores new or operational lithium-ion batteries.
The Environment Agency’s 2026 guidance contains specific measures for lithium battery storage.
Among other requirements, waste lithium batteries must be:
The guidance requires separate storage, as a minimum, for lead-acid and lithium batteries.
For permitted waste facilities within the scope of the Environment Agency guidance, lithium batteries must be stored in rigid lidded containers.
The containers must be non-conductive or provided with a non-conductive liner and should protect the batteries from damage and short circuiting.
Terminals and wired connections should be insulated where possible, or batteries should be separated using suitable non-conductive and non-combustible packing material.
Where significant quantities of lithium-ion batteries are stored, the Environment Agency recommends using suitable lined UN-approved steel drums or other fire-resistant containers designed to reduce fire propagation where possible.
Some waste battery packs and modules are too large to be placed inside standard battery containers.
The Environment Agency’s 2026 guidance requires these batteries to be stored in a dedicated area of a building constructed using non-combustible materials.
The area should be:
Measures should also protect large battery packs from physical damage, short circuits and overheating.
Manufacturer storage instructions should be followed where available.
The Environment Agency’s 2026 appropriate-measures guidance establishes maximum storage durations for facilities within its scope.
The normal maximum is six months for:
A shorter period may apply where required by the environmental permit or another site management document such as a fire prevention plan.
Repackaging or bulking the batteries does not restart the permitted storage period.
Yes, where the Environment Agency’s 2026 waste-battery guidance applies, operators must have procedures for promptly identifying and managing overheating lithium-ion batteries.
The guidance states that infrared cameras or detectors, whether fixed or handheld, should be used to regularly monitor lithium-ion battery temperatures during storage, including quarantine storage.
The monitoring regime should be based on the battery types, quantities and risks involved, and completed checks should be recorded.
Yes. The Environment Agency notes that gas detection systems can provide early warning of thermal runaway and the release of associated battery off-gases.
Gas detection may therefore form part of a wider monitoring and fire-detection strategy where justified by the battery inventory and risk assessment.
The appropriate detector technology and alarm thresholds should be determined by competent specialists for the battery chemistry and installation involved.
Not automatically. The Environment Agency’s 2026 appropriate-measures guidance is specifically aimed at regulated facilities in England operating under environmental permits for the treatment or transfer of waste batteries.
A manufacturer, warehouse, data centre or other business storing new operational batteries should not assume that every provision of the waste guidance is a direct legal requirement for its site.
However, some of the underlying risk-control principles may still provide useful information when assessing battery fire and storage risks.
Yes. Environmental regulation is devolved within the UK.
The Environment Agency guidance discussed above applies in England.
Businesses handling waste batteries in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland should check the requirements of the relevant environmental regulator and the conditions of any applicable permit or authorisation.
Not in every case. Much of the HSE legislation discussed on this page applies to Great Britain – England, Scotland and Wales.
Northern Ireland has separate health and safety legislation and its own regulator, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland.
Businesses operating battery storage or BESS facilities in Northern Ireland should therefore confirm the specific legislation and regulatory guidance applicable to their site.
No individual battery cabinet, enclosure or storage building can make an entire site automatically compliant with UK health and safety requirements.
Storage equipment can form part of a wider risk-control strategy, but the dutyholder may also need to consider:
The appropriate measures depend on the battery inventory, activity and site-specific risks.
Chemstore designs and manufactures lithium-ion battery storage solutions for industrial, commercial, logistics, manufacturing and critical-infrastructure applications.
The Electrovault range provides dedicated external lithium-ion battery storage and can be configured around the battery inventory and site-specific risk assessment.
Available options can include:
For smaller lithium-ion batteries, Chemstore also supplies dedicated battery charging and storage cabinets through its lithium-ion battery storage range.
The appropriate solution should be selected according to the battery chemistry, size, condition, quantity, storage or charging activities and findings of the site-specific risk assessment.
A Chemstore product does not replace the dutyholder’s responsibilities under health and safety, electrical, planning, fire or environmental requirements.
The following sources provide current government, regulator and standards information relevant to lithium-ion battery storage and Battery Energy Storage Systems.
This page provides general information about lithium-ion battery storage and Battery Energy Storage Systems in the UK. It does not replace legislation, HSE or HSENI guidance, environmental permit conditions, British Standards, manufacturer instructions, planning requirements, a fire risk assessment or advice from a competent person.
The requirements for an individual battery installation should always be determined from its location, battery chemistry, quantity, stored energy, condition, state of charge, operating activities and site-specific risks.
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