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Resident warns of safety, evacuation and insurance gaps for proposed battery storage projects in Chautauqua County
Summary
At the Public Safety Committee meeting, Karen Engstrom of Chautauqua Energy Watch told members battery energy storage systems (BESS) raise evacuation, firefighting, environmental and insurance concerns for local towns and institutions.
Karen Engstrom, identifying herself as from the township of Chautauqua and Chautauqua Energy Watch, told the Chautauqua County Public Safety Committee that proposed battery energy storage systems are a public safety issue for local communities.
Engstrom said developers are approaching towns with BESS proposals under state-sponsored solicitations and raised questions about evacuation plans, firefighter training and long-term disposal of batteries. "Do we have evacuation plans? We know that in Ripley, at the state level ... the fire plan was an evacuation of a radius of 7 miles in the case of a thermal runaway fire or explosion," she said,…
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