National Grid division scraps plans for six battery storage plants on Long Island
National Grid Ventures, a co-owner of Long Island's pioneering battery storage plants, has withdrawn plans for six additional plants across the region. This decision comes as the company collaborates with NextEra Energy Resources to revitalize a Montauk plant that has been offline.
The London-based National Grid's U.S. division, which owns Long Island's power plants and the regional natural gas system, had previously proposed battery plants in West Babylon, Southampton, Far Rockaway, Port Jefferson, Wading River, and Glenwood Landing. These projects collectively represented hundreds of megawatts of potential energy storage, utilizing space at power stations acquired from KeySpan in 2007.
Newsday's findings reveal that the New York Independent System Operator, responsible for managing grid connection requests across the state, had initially proposed around 60 battery-storage facilities for Long Island in 2025. However, this number has been reduced to 20. It's common for projects to be added or removed from this list, as National Grid explained, citing the exploration of alternative opportunities.
National Grid Ventures' spokesman, Will Brunelle, stated, 'National Grid is not planning to develop any additional battery sites on Long Island at this time, except for the two on the South Fork. The other proposals were withdrawn in favor of opportunities that better align with our business priorities.'
The company had previously listed Wading River, Southampton, and Glenwood Landing as proposed battery plant locations. Brunelle informed Newsday that these plants were in the exploratory phase and not under active development. National Grid continuously monitors market conditions and communicates with the state to assess opportunities for enhancing New York's electricity system resilience.
NextEra's involvement in the other proposed plants remains unclear. The company operates over 50 battery energy storage plants across the country, with 7,100 megawatts under development as of 2024. NextEra remains optimistic about these facilities.
New York aims to achieve approximately 6,000 megawatts of battery storage by 2030. Most Long Island towns have imposed moratoriums on these facilities, citing past fires at facilities worldwide. Proponents, including Governor Kathy Hochul, argue that these systems are crucial for stabilizing the electric grid and storing power.
They emphasize that the technology is safe and is further enhanced by new state fire safety codes that took effect this month. Previous fires, including those at National Grid/NextEra's East Hampton facility and another in Warwick, occurred before the implementation of these new codes, according to officials.
Battery storage plants differ from traditional power plants. Instead of generating power, they store it in lithium-ion battery cells, which can stabilize the grid by discharging stored power during peak demand. This is particularly useful when renewable sources like the South Fork Wind Farm produce excess energy, such as on windy winter nights. The batteries discharge this energy during expensive peak demand summer hours.
The two existing facilities on the South Fork, in Montauk and East Hampton, have been operational under contract to LIPA since 2018. LIPA's 20-year contracts for these 5-megawatt facilities amount to a combined $109 million.
A 2023 fire at the East Hampton plant took 30 hours to extinguish, requiring the complete replacement of internal battery components. Newsday reported that the battery's owners struggled to provide basic information about potential toxins released in the smoke. Company testers waited four months to collect soil samples, did not test groundwater, and initially didn't test for lithium, according to a state report. However, lithium tests were eventually completed and found to be below hazardous levels.
The upgraded East Hampton battery plant resumed operations in July 2024. Regarding the Montauk facility, Brunelle stated that it is replacing its battery cells with the same modules used in the upgraded East Hampton facility. The new facility, currently offline, will be brought back into commercial operation in April, utilizing state-of-the-art technology with the most up-to-date safeguards.
LIPA spent $2.2 million using the East Hampton facility during its six months of operation in 2024, according to purchasing records. The $51 million East Hampton battery contract is part of a larger plan to fortify the South Fork with new green power facilities to meet growing demand, including the South Fork Wind Farm, which now supplies energy to the grid.
The Montauk Energy Storage Center, a battery plant in Montauk, received $2.2 million of its $58 million contract with LIPA in 2024, which also expires in 2038.
