Manatee Battery Energy Storage Site in Parrish, Fla. on August 12, 2021. (NextEra Energy)
BISMARCK, N.D. (Jeff Beach/NORTH DAKOTA MONITOR) – North Dakota has approved its first two large battery storage sites, but one regulator said future projects should better address risks associated with fires at the sites.
The three-person Public Service Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a battery storage site in northwest North Dakota’s Burke County. In January, it approved a similar project in Emmons County in south-central North Dakota. Both projects are connected to NextEra wind farms, providing a more consistent flow of electricity.
Before Wednesday’s vote, commission Chair Randy Christmann said he wanted to “get a point out to industry” that it should provide a list of all toxins that could be released if a battery site were to catch fire — one of the primary concerns about the storage systems.
“I hope in the future, on these applications, the full list of things that could come off of a fire are provided in advance to the local emergency officials and let them decide if they think they need additional resources for personal protection, or if they want to oppose the project,” Christmann said.
He said the discussion of emissions from a fire came too late in the process for the Burke County project, and he is concerned that applicants are “glossing over” the fire risks.
At a public hearing on the Emmons-Logan project in November, NextEra said the company had been in contact with local first responders to establish a safety plan.
Both of the North Dakota projects are set for construction this year and to be operational in December.
The Northern Divide Energy Storage project in Burke County is a $128.6 million project. It is a 100-megawatt storage system.
The $181 million Emmons-Logan Energy Storage project is slightly larger at 140 megawatts.
Both sites will be able to provide up to four hours of continuous energy, according to NextEra.
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