Islip again extends battery facility moratorium

Islip Town officials have unanimously banned battery energy storage systems for another year amid ongoing concerns about fire safety at a proposed battery facility in Hauppauge.

That planned facility sparked fierce opposition from Islip residents last year. Opponents have consistently cited fears of out-of-control fires, like one at a California facility that burned for days and spread toxins earlier this year.

The company behind the proposed Hauppauge facility, Key Capture Energy, or KCE, contends that technological advances like those planned for the site have "dramatically" improved safety, and that Islip should now have enough information to lift the moratorium, which has been in effect since March 2024. The state has issued new battery storage safety rules, which municipalities needed to craft their own policies.

The facilities are cornerstones of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s green energy aspirations. They work by pulling power from the grid when extra energy is available, then pumping it back into the grid when it’s needed, according to the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority.

Islip’s town board previously approved three consecutive six-month battery storage bans in response to safety concerns. Tuesday’s 5-0 vote was the fourth and longest extension of the moratorium and, unless it's lifted, it will ensure the facilities will remain out of town until at least Sept. 30 of next year.

“The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the town more time to adequately study the safety and environmental concerns related to [the facilities],” Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter told Newsday via email, adding the town needed to adopt proper codes and protocols.

Since Islip’s first moratorium last year, town officials have consistently cited the need for more time to understand the issue, and a lack of state-level guidance.

New York State adopted new battery facility safety codes in July, however.

KCE spokesman Chris Linsmayer said the company “remains committed to bringing this project online.”

“New York’s new fire code provides Islip with all the information it needs to be confident this project will be built to the highest safety standards,” Linsmayer said via email.

Councilman James O’Connor said he voted to extend the battery storage ban to give town staffers time to “draft a zoning ordinance that is not inconsistent” with the new state codes, but questioned how much more Islip Town has to “study” the issue.

“I am sympathetic to those that say that we have just ‘kicked the can down the road,’ ” O’Connor said. “I think we knew as much last night as we will know in 12 months."

Islip is not alone in its aversion to the facilities. At least six other Long Island towns — Hempstead, Southold, Smithtown, Oyster Bay, Babylon and North Hempstead — have enacted similar bans, while Brookhaven paused the review of new battery applications.

Islip Councilman Michael McElwee, who said he meets with local fire officials regularly, said, “I’m in favor of taking a pause until the fire departments come to us and say, ‘all right, we have a plan.’ ”

Linsmayer said KCE will meet with fire officials to discuss those concerns.

Multiple Islip fire officials did not immediately respond to Newsday's request for comment on their position regarding the battery storage facilities.

O’Connor appeared skeptical about whether resident opposition will subside, even if town and fire officials are eventually satisfied with the current safety standards.

He said he worries further moratoriums may prompt the state to preempt Islip from making its own decisions about battery facilities.

“I would not be surprised to see them take this [decision] away from local municipalities and local planning boards, and just site these facilities like they do power plants,” he said.

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.