A live You Tube stream of Angus Council proceedings has been hit by IT issues for the second time this month.
On Tuesday, folk tuning in for the area’s planning meeting were met with a screen saying “delayed due to technical difficulties”.
The two-hour meeting went ahead without being broadcast.
But a full recording of the meeting was posted on the council’s You Tube channel later on Tuesday.
It is the second glitch to hit the live stream in less than a fortnight.
On August 1 a crunch meeting on the future of Carnoustie golf links was not broadcast.
Angus led the way among Scottish councils in live streaming meetings during the pandemic.
And in 2022 councillors agreed to a hybrid arrangement for Forfar’s Town and County Hall.
It allows councillors and the public to attend meetings either in person or online. The arrangement has worked well until recently.
Montrose battery storage site approved
Among applications agreed on Tuesday was a 49.9MW battery energy storage plant for farmland near Montrose.
The Dunmill application was unanimously approved by the committee.
Developers RES will build the storage site to feed into the nearby Bridge of Dun substation.
It will store energy in 32 metal containers at times when generation exceeds demand.
The power will then be released back onto the network when demand exceeds generation.
Councillors welcomed the promise off additional planting around the site. RES say that will deliver a 12% biodiversity gain in habitat.
RES project manager Peter Deeney said: “Energy storage will be crucial in enabling the continued rollout of zero carbon energy needed to replace electricity generation from fossil fuels.
“We welcome Angus Council’s positive decision, which allows Dunmill energy storage system to play its part in supporting the net zero emissions targets in Scotland while ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the grid network.
“We’d like to thank the local residents and stakeholders for their feedback and support on this application.
“The collaborative design process resulted in a better proposal to deliver a range of benefits both economically and environmentally.”
The firm hopes to create work for local contractors in the year-long construction phase.
Conversation