East Hampton storage battery could be out for months after fire

A $55 million storage battery in East Hampton that was damaged in a fire in late May could be out of commission for months this summer, just when it’s needed most.

Co-owner NextEra Energy this week said the 5-megawatt lithium-ion battery “remains out of service while we continue our thorough review,” after the May 31 fire that erupted when the unit overheated. The battery, and another of the same size in Montauk, are part of a joint venture between NextEra and National Grid.

“We are working diligently to repair the facility and expect to do so over the coming months,” NextEra spokesman Bill Orlove said in an email.

The company declined to detail the extent of the damage but said “there are no safety or power concerns for local residents as a result of the facility being out of service.”

LIPA, which has a $110 million contract for the East Hampton battery and a second such unit in Montauk, on Monday said system operator PSEG Long Island can manage peak load on the South Fork this summer “without the East Hampton battery.”

The East Hampton fire knocked the battery out of commission just as LIPA entered the critical peak summer energy season, resulting in the loss of a source capable of storing enough power to supply more than 5,000 customers.

It also comes as LIPA and the state are planning to vastly increase the use of battery storage units around Long Island and New York.

The cost of repairs at the 4,100-square foot East Hampton facility will be paid by NextEra Energy and National Grid, LIPA said, not ratepayers.

NextEra has been operating the large battery storage unit since it came online in 2018. The battery was part of a coordinated approach by LIPA to address the South Fork’s increasing power needs. The plan included a $2 billion offshore wind farm and demand-reduction efforts.

The battery replaced a small diesel generator that had provided peak power to the area. LIPA and other state utilities have been following state mandates to replace fossil fuel-based generators with greener energy sources. Storage batteries have become a major solution to the problem of providing energy when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining.

In parts of the United States, however, some battery units have experienced early problems. According to a report by the American Public Power Association, a battery storage unit in Surprise, Arizona, experienced a “catastrophic failure” in 2019 that injured first responders. The “extensive cascading thermal runaway event,” was caused by an internal cell failure.

LIPA in a statement said “all technologies, including conventional fossil-generation, have certain risks and the potential for outages. Part of system planning is designing a system that when an issue like this occurs, we can still reliably serve customers.”

NextEra said the East Hampton facility’s internal suppression system “operated as designed and quickly contained the fire. No further emergency response was required.”

Officials at the East Hampton Fire Department, which responded to the NextEra-unit fire, didn’t return messages seeking comment.

LIPA is proposing 329 megawatts of battery storage across Long Island as part of a plan to stabilize the electric grid and provide peak power options, as the utility works to bring online a range of power sources to replace antiquated plants that operate chiefly with natural gas.

Gov. Kathy Hochul this year upped the state’s goal for battery storage to at least 6,000 megawatts by 2030.

A megawatt is enough to power 800 to 1,000 homes.

LIPA isn't the only entity eyeing greater use of battery storage systems.

On Thursday, the state Public Service Commission will hold a virtual public hearing on a plan by developer Holtsville Energy Storage to build a $160.6 million 110-volt energy storage unit in Brookhaven Town, in Holtsville. The unit will not be under contract to LIPA, the utility said.

The facility, to be located at Expressway Drive South at Morris Avenue, would occupy up six to 6 acres and consist of 124 lithium-ion battery containers, heating, ventilation and cooling systems, control instrumentation and interconnection switch gears. It would link to the grid via a 138-kilovolt connection. The developers are seeking a “lightened regulatory regime,” and an order for an “expedited proceeding,” according to the PSC.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.