The Town of Wawarsing has approved a temporary moratorium on new battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, giving officials time to study the rapidly evolving technology and consider regulations before accepting additional applications.
The moratorium, expected to last about six months, pauses applications for new large-scale battery storage facilities while town officials evaluate potential safety, environmental and land-use concerns, according to reporting by the Shawangunk Journal and comments from reporter Chris Rowley during an interview with Radio Catskill.
During the town board meeting, Supervisor Joe Stoeckeler said both the Ulster County Planning Board and the town planning board supported the proposal. Following a public hearing, during which no residents spoke, Town Attorney Bill Collier presented the resolution establishing the moratorium, which the board approved.
Rowley said the pause is intended to give the town time to better understand a technology that is becoming increasingly common but remains unfamiliar to many communities.
“These are a new thing,” Rowley said. “The town board wants to get its head around what they’re dealing with before applications move forward.”
Battery energy storage systems store electricity for later use, helping stabilize the electric grid and supporting renewable energy sources such as solar power. At the residential level, they can provide backup power during outages. Commercial-scale facilities, however, can consist of dozens or even hundreds of large battery units capable of storing hundreds of megawatts of electricity.
Rowley noted that much of the public concern centers on large utility-scale facilities rather than home battery systems.
“They’re another new thing,” he said. “You could have one at your own house for backup power, or you could have a 250-megawatt installation the size of a field.”
One of the primary issues surrounding lithium-ion battery storage is fire safety. While battery technology continues to evolve—with newer lithium iron phosphate and sodium-ion batteries designed to reduce fire risks—Rowley said communities and volunteer fire departments are still adapting.
“The issue with lithium batteries is always fire,” he said. “Fire departments are taking notice and receiving special training on how to deal with these kinds of fires.”
He added that some public anxiety has also been fueled by confusion between battery storage facilities and large data centers.
“People hear about these projects and worry they’re getting a giant data center that’s going to use enormous amounts of water,” Rowley said. “That’s not what these facilities are.”
According to Rowley, Wawarsing has already received several applications for sizable battery storage projects, prompting officials to temporarily halt new proposals while they determine how future facilities should be regulated.
Questions the town hopes to answer during the moratorium include whether projects could affect nearby homes, water supplies, emergency response capabilities or other aspects of the community.
The battery storage discussion was one of several items on the board’s agenda. Officials also reviewed the success of the town’s Independence Day celebrations, announced a water conservation notice for the Napanoch Water District due to reduced well production, approved placing funding for the Cragsmoor Free Library on the November ballot, and received updates on sidewalk and bridge projects.