New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 6 released initial recommendations from an Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group, outlining enhanced safety standards for battery energy storage systems.
The draft recommendations include potential updates to the Fire Code of New York State as well as a list of additional opportunities for defining and implementing best practices.
“If adopted, the changes will codify enhanced safety standards and continue to position New York as a national leader in responsible and reliable battery energy storage development,” a news release from Hochul’s office said.
The announcement follows the release of initial data that found that there were no reported injuries and no harmful levels of toxins detected following fires at battery energy storages systems in various New York Counties last summer.
The 15 draft recommendations announced Feb. 6 were proposed by the Working Group, “with guidance from nation leading subject matter experts, after completing a thorough examination of the existing Fire Code of New York State and other energy storage fire safety standards,” Hochul’s office said.
They address preventative and responsive measures as well as best practices, and include proposed requirements related to peer review of project permit application packages, emergency response planning, and local fire department training, among others.
The recommendations identify ways to further improve the regulatory framework for BESS in New York, are intended to apply to lithium-ion BESS exceeding 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
The recommendations were developed with a focus on outdoor systems, BESS in dedicated use buildings, and other grid-scale battery energy storage systems.
They will be considered by the New York State Code Council for inclusion in the next edition of the FCNYS to help improve deployment of safety standards in the state and potentially across the country.
Interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments on these draft recommendations to the Working Group for incorporation into the final recommendations to be submitted to the Code Council for consideration.
The public comment period is open through March 5, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Following a series of fires at three BESS locations across New York State in the summer of 2023, Hochul convened the Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group to address safety concerns around lithium-ion BESS.
The Working Group includes State agency officials from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Public Service, the Department of State, and the New York Power Authority as well as BESS safety industry experts with the objectives of investigating the recent failure events, inspecting current installations and identifying gaps in codes and industry best practices.
New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “Energy storage represents an innovative technology that will help advance New York’s nation-leading clean energy goals and is expected to have a broad impact in our transition to a decarbonized electric system. The safety of energy storage systems remains an important focus for the New York Power Authority. Through our support on the Governor’s Inter-Agency Working Group and our collaboration with other state agencies, we are advising the industry on fire and safety standards that will guide the development of energy storage infrastructure for years to come.”
The announcement builds on the progress being made by the Working Group following the release of the initial results from air, soil and water testing at the sites of the fires at the end of last year, Hochul’s office said.
The Working Group has also partnered with subject matter experts to inspect all operational battery systems above 300 kW in New York, which accounts for the majority of commercial battery systems in service across the state.
Inspections are currently underway and are expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2024.
The goal of these inspections is to revise the current evaluation checklists and best-practices available for use by New York State and others prior to energizing battery energy storage systems, and to incorporate lessons learned from the battery fires while enhancing emergency response measures.
