On June 8, beginning at 6 p.m., the Southampton Town Planning Board will continue a public hearing on a proposal that, if approved, would green light the first battery energy storage system facility in town — in Hampton Bays, to be precise.
Canal Southampton Battery Storage LLC is seeking site plan/special exception approval for the construction of a battery energy storage unit system greater than 600 kilovolt amps containing 30 battery enclosures, each with 24 battery modules, on a 4.9-acre property located off North Road in Hampton Bays.
The first stanza of the hearing, held April 27, packed the auditorium in Town Hall with concerned community members. The potential for a disastrous fire was at the forefront of their minds — as well as its potential consequences for the nearby residential area, and the environment.
Nick Petrakis of the consulting firm Energy Safety Response Group spoke at the meeting, walking the board, and audience, through design measures aimed at keeping BESS sites safe. The “belt-and-suspender” safety requirements for BESS sites are, said Petrakis, “the gold standard.”
Members of the Hampton Bays Civic Association, at their May meeting, voted to ask planners to rescind their declaration related to the potential for adverse environmental impacts that a BESS site may pose. Civic members argued that the board didn’t have enough information to make the declaration.
At the April hearing, the board directed the applicant and his representatives to meet with local fire services to discuss the unique efforts fighting a BESS fire might entail. They were to bring information about those interactions to the second part of the hearing on Thursday night.
As of last month, the developer’s consultants had interacted with the Hampton Bays Fire District commissioners and the water district. Officials were satisfied with measures that would be taken, according to James Kappers, the fire department’s chief and the water district superintendent.
In April, Planning Board member Glorian Berk cautioned against “mixing bananas and pears” — the lithium ion batteries that led to explosions and dramatic fires of cars and e-bikes aren’t the same kind as those at BESS facilities, she learned.
“Maybe some of the stuff we’re reading doesn’t even apply here,” she cautioned, referencing news reports of the fires.
Thursday night’s hearing comes on the heels of a fire event at the smaller battery substation in East Hampton, where a smoldering battery was reported on May 31. It was contained by an internal water sprinkler system. Surrounding roads were closed for a little over an hour, and suspended train service was restored in the same amount of time.
Meanwhile, back in Southampton, the Town Board is mulling the enactment of a BESS moratorium, with legislation outlining it possibly coming to the fore for the scheduling of a public hearing on June 13. There is one other proposal that may be included in the pause.
The plan to construct a BESS just west of the car wash and across Montauk Highway from Bess Lane in Hampton Bays was the subject of what’s known as a presubmission conference in February. Albany-based Key Capture is seeking approval for the installation of the battery storage system with a new 69kV point of interconnection substation, as well as a separate substation on a portion of the overall 8.25 acres on West Montauk Highway that would be conveyed to the Long Island Power Authority.
An array of questions arose during the conference and the applicant was sent back to provide additional information; a formal application has yet to be filed.
Since the Canal application has been progressing through the review process, it might be exempted from any moratorium. The proposal that hasn’t filed a formal application yet likely would be captured.
