Charged-up residents aim to unplug a battery storage facility proposed for the North Fork.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition opposing a lithium battery storage facility at 10750 Oregon Road in Cutchogue, News12 reported. The area of the proposed facility is zoned for light industrial use.
Albany-based Key Capture Energy proposed the 60-megawatt storage facility on a 27-acre parcel, East End Beacon reported last month. The facility would encompass 11 acres of the land, which is owned and farmed by F. McBride & Son.
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The energy company proposed building 272 battery energy storage container units, 34 power conversion system units and a 1,000-square-foot interconnection building. Key Capture would also subdivide two-and-a-half acres for the Long Island Power Authority to use for a 400-square-foot substation.
The battery systems store excess energy generated during low demand periods, then return the energy to the grid when demand increases. Proponents of the project hail its green energy potential and the project’s lack of sanitary waste or hazardous air emissions.
Opponents, however, expressed numerous concerns, ranging from its location in the middle of farmland and homes to the potential of a lighting nuisance at night. One resident told Patch that more than a dozen households at or near Oregon Road are exploring legal options.
“We support renewable energy efforts in our town, but the ‘green belt’ of Oregon Road, which is enjoyed by so many people besides just those who live nearby, is a terrible idea,” Alix O’Mara told the publication.
The opponents also voiced fears of a disaster.
“Our volunteer firefighters would not be prepared for a runaway thermal event that could burn for days, unleash toxic fumes and contaminate groundwater,” their petition reads.
The local zoning board of appeals is examining the proposal. The board held a meeting last week regarding a variance for the project, which was also on the agenda of the Dec. 5 Southold Town planning board hearing. Notes from the hearing haven’t been released.
— Holden Walter-Warner