in US markets including Texas and Arizona to date. Image: Eolian.
Independent power producer (IPP) Eolian has pulled plans for a 100MW/400MWh standalone BESS facility that was proposed for the Town of Catskill in Greene County, New York, following a drawn-out permitting process with the local planning authority.
The news that Eolian had decided to withdraw plans for the standalone BESS, dubbed Catskill Grid, was announced by officials at a planning meeting for the Town of Catskill on 26 November 2024.
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From automotive junkyard to utility-scale BESS
At the Catskill Planning Board meeting, it was revealed that law firm Barclay Damon had submitted a letter on 5 November 2024 with the board on behalf of Eolian asking that the Site Plan and Special Use Permit (SUP) applications associated with Catskill Grid be withdrawn.
The Town of Catskill was first made aware of Eolians plans after it received a sketch plan and written narrative of the developer’s intention, which was discussed at an 11 October 2022 meeting.
During the meeting, Eolian disclosed that the facility would comprise 130 self-contained lithium iron phosphate (LFP) BESS containers encompassing a 17.2-acre site currently used as a junkyard for automobiles.
Lengthy discussion of fire, explosion risk at planning meetings
Since its initial submission, representatives of Eolian have submitted several revised plans with the Town of Catskill and returned multiple times to the planning board for further discussion. Based on the minutes for planning meetings published online over the past two years, it appears that the potential of BESS fires was a main concern for the board as well as locals.
Regular readers of Energy-Storage.news will know that BESS fire safety has been a huge topic of contention this year, with discussions taking place at local meetings across the US. Most recently, a local authority in Indiana rejected a proposal from Spearmint Energy to construct a 400MW BESS after fears of BESS fires.
During a Catskill planning board meeting taking place on 25 July 2023, Vice President of Permitting at Eolian, Justin Adams, engaged in a lengthy discussion with Catskill officials around BESS fire safety. Adams answered a plethora of questions during the meeting including whether the batteries could explode, what would be emitted if a fire were to occur and also what sort of emergency plans were in place if a fire were to occur.
In response to questioning, the Eolian representative likened a BESS fire to the aftermath of a car fire or burning plastic when looking at what’s emitted.
Adams also stated that Eolian, alongside the current site owner, were working to clear up the proposed project site in line with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC’s) closure procedure.
‘Not yet ready for this step into a cleaner and more secure energy future’
In a statement carried by local newspaper The Daily Gazette, Eolian appeared frustrated with the slow progress and actions of the local planning board, stating that “the community was not yet ready for this step into a cleaner and more secure energy future”.
It added that they would be turning their time and efforts into “communities led by people who will work transparently with us”. Eolian said that it had already invested millions into the project site in converting it from a junkyard to a BESS site.
Presumably, Eolian will have also spent thousands on interconnection studies with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) after it first submitted an interconnection request for the Catskill project during April 2019 (queue number 0952). The project was expected to connect to the local grid via Central Hudson Gas & Electric’s (CHG&E’s) North Catskill – Milan 115kV transmission line.
6GW of BESS by 2030 in New York
Eolian was targeting a commercial operation date sometime in 2027 for its Catskill project. However, based on the developer’s recent statement, it seems unlikely that this project will ever see the light of day and contribute to New York’s target for 6GW of storage by 2030.
The target forms part of the Energy Storage 2.0 Roadmap that was approved by state regulatory body New York Public Service Commission (PSC) in June of this year. It’s hoped that the framework will guide the state away from fossil fuel usage and towards its goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.
Portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners
Eolian, portfolio company of US private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners, describes itself as “one of the most successful energy investors in the US,” claiming to have funded the development of 26GW of operating generating capacity since its inception.
The developer made headlines this summer after it secured a storage capacity agreement (SCA) with utility CPS Energy totalling 350MW of capacity across two standalone BESS projects located in South Bexar County, Texas.
The two projects, named Ferdinand and Padua 2 BESS, have 200MW and 150MW of capacity, respectively, and are expected online in 2026.
