By Hank Russell
The Town of East Hampton has formally directed East Hampton Energy Storage Center, NextEra Energy and National Grid to take six specific actions, at their sole expense, to address fire-water containment and other safety concerns at the battery energy storage facility on Cove Hollow Road.
In a July 31 letter sent to the aforementioned entities and obtained by Long Island Life & Politics, Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez provided a list of demands, including new engineering controls capable of containing all fire water and runoff, a revised emergency and safety plan, complete and certified technical information, a hazardous-waste management plan and an independent study of whether the facility remains necessary for the East End electric grid.
The action follows questions raised by the May 2023 battery fire and comes as State and County agencies continue an investigation into perfluoropropanoic acid (PFPrA) and other PFAS contamination near the Suffolk County Water Authority’s Bridgehampton Road Wellfield. No source has been determined.
Earlier this year, the Water Authority detected PFPrA at the wellfield, removing three wells from service and limiting a fourth to emergency use. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is currently sampling the battery storage property. The Suffolk County Department of Health Services is also conducting groundwater sampling and testing private drinking-water wells in the area.
The county has identified 26 homes in the area that are not connected to public water. Results are not yet available for all of those wells, and several have not yet been sampled.
When the facility was reviewed in 2017 by the town’s Planning Board, the town relied on technical information provided by the applicant stating that no liquid within the battery cells could spill and that the only hazardous spillable liquid at the site was oil contained in the transformers and inverters.
The approved plans therefore included containment for that oil, but not a permanent system capable of capturing the fire-suppression water generated during the May 2023 battery fire, which the Water Authority alleges exceeded 2.2 million gallons.
The town is requiring the companies to:
- submit a revised emergency and safety plan for town approval explaining how the facility would respond to a worst-case battery fire, contain all fire-suppression water and promptly notify the Town and emergency agencies. Submission alone will not constitute compliance.
- provide stamped engineering plans and install physical containment systems capable of capturing and holding all fire water and runoff on the property.
- prepare a comprehensive hazardous waste management plan addressing damaged batteries, contaminated water and soil, routine battery replacement and the eventual decommissioning of the facility.
- correct and certify the facility’s technical record, including complete information about the batteries and the materials they contain, environmental testing conducted since the 2023 fire and changes made to the facility since it was approved.
- provide an independent study examining whether the facility remains necessary for the reliability of the East End electric grid, and whether safer alternatives or another location could meet that need.
- provide full access and cooperation to the town and its consultants for inspections and environmental sampling, and reimburse the town for the reasonable legal and technical costs of the review.
“These demands come with firm deadlines,” Burke-Gonzalez said. “The town has reserved every enforcement option available to ensure the companies meet their obligations and put the necessary safeguards in place.”
Burke wrote in her letter, “The town does not allege that any individual knowingly made a false statement to it, and it does not need to. What the file shows is that this facility was approved on the representation that it had no spillable liquid other than transformer/inverter oil.”
The town said it will continue to share information from the state and county investigations as it becomes available.
NextEra Energy Resources and National Grid issued a joint statement in response to the supervisor’s letter: “While we are unable to comment on an ongoing case, we remain committed to working with local and state officials on the investigation. The project is operating safely.”