HydroStore outlines timeline, water and permitting questions for Lewis County energy storage proposal

HydroStore representatives told Lewis County officials at a public meeting that a proposed 500-megawatt underground compressed-air energy storage project in the county depends on the results of a New York State procurement process and multiple state and local permits.

The project is tied closely to a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) procurement. "If we don't have a commercial pathway with NYSERDA, then we really don't have a project at all," said Dean, a HydroStore representative. Company staff said the state is expected to issue an RFP (request for proposals) for long-duration storage technologies and that the window for that procurement will determine whether HydroStore advances to the costly site-testing stage.

Why it matters: The proposal would require large, one-time site preparations and a single-time water fill, subsurface drilling and local approvals. County officials repeatedly raised questions about potential impacts on municipal wells, blasting and construction noise, and requested the company fund or allow independent technical review. Those items figure into whether the towns and county will support permitting and host-community conditions.

What HydroStore told the county - Procurement dependency and schedule: HydroStore said New York officials will publish an RFP for long-duration storage technology that company staff expect to cover up to about 600 megawatts; the company's proposed unit is roughly 500 megawatts. The company…