Public Service Commission approves proposed battery storage facility in Holtsville
Parents in Holtsville, Holbrook and surrounding areas joined with the Sachem Central School District Board of Education in opposition of the facility they say presents a safety risk to their children on Wednesday evening.
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The New York State Public Service Commission approved the proposed lithium-ion battery facility in Holtsville on Thursday.
The group says the $160 million battery storage plant will allow for clean energy resources.
Parents in Holtsville, Holbrook and surrounding areas joined with the Sachem Central School District Board of Education in opposition of the facility they say presents a safety risk to their children on Wednesday evening.
Hundreds of parents signed an online petition asking the Town of Brookhaven to deny a permit for the construction of the Holtsville Energy Storage Facility.
The Board of Education sent a letter to the New York State Public Service Commission expressing opposition to the project in light of safety concerns it presents to students and the community.
The proposed facility would be within a mile of at least four elementary and middle schools. Sachem Center School District Board of Education President Robert Scavo says the board opposes the construction of the site and needs more information from the town about the potential impacts the site would have in the wake of a catastrophe.
“Not only our school district, but our residents [need to be] able to weigh in about the concerns, the health and the environmental concerns, health and safety concerns it has in the community, as well as our kids,” says Scavo.
The Town of Brookhaven has already greenlighted various aspects of the approval process for the proposed Holtsville Energy Storage Facility.
Board members Wednesday night discussed legal avenues for delaying the construction permits.
As News 12 has previously reported, some other municipalities have placed a moratorium on these types of facilities.
The facility is expected to be operational by 2025.
