ALBANY, New York (WWNY) – A state panel is out with recommendations to increase safety for battery energy storage systems like the one that caught fire at a solar farm near Chaumont last year.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday released a report from the Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group that recommends updates to the state fire code and lists ways to determine best practices when it comes to large-scale battery systems.
Tuesday’s report follows one in December that determined there were no injuries or dangerous levels of toxins following battery fires in Orange and Suffolk counties, as well as the one near Chaumont.
This week’s report addresses preventative and responsive measures, including best practices, requirements for reviewing project permits, emergency response planning, and local fire department training.
The recommendations cover battery systems for outdoor facilities like solar panel farms, building-wide indoor systems, and storage systems that are part of the electrical grid.
The fire near Chaumont was on County Route 179 and burned for days. At the time, officials didn’t know if the smoke was toxic, so nearby residents were advised to shelter in place.
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