North Kingstown residents and experts raise fire, groundwater and emergency-response questions about proposed battery facility

Several residents and technical experts at the April 27 meeting urged the town and regulators to slow down on the proposed battery-storage facility at Quonset, citing fire hazard scenarios, emergency-response costs and potential contamination of the town’s sole-source aquifer.

Environmental scientist Meg Kerr said she supports battery storage for the grid but warned against rushing the site selection and permitting. "We need to put on the brakes, slow down, figure out where to put the battery storage to do it right and do it safely," she said. Fire-safety and emergency-response concerns were raised repeatedly: speakers noted uncertainty about the developer’s experience, the lack of independent inspection plans, and potential long-duration fires that could release toxic gases and leachate into groundwater.

Town residents also pointed to national precedents such as Moss Landing (California) where battery incidents raised questions about post-fire contamination and cleanup. Speakers asked for air-quality modeling for fire scenarios, explicit plans for sampling and cleanup, and a decommissioning bond or other financial guarantees tied to long-term site risks.