New York Governor Kathy Hochul, in partnership with the Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group, has issued a of list of 15 new recommendations pertaining to energy storage system safety in the state.
Taking advantage of opportunities to better define and implement best practices are among the State’s recommended changes, including proposed requirements for industry-funded independent peer reviews of project permit application packages. According to Utility Dive, local authorities aren’t always able to evaluate permitting documents for storage facilities, a task that could be handed off to expert peer reviewers.
Additional local fire department training and emergency response planning also made the list of requested updates, including a provision that would require a qualified storage installer, familiar with a particular installation, to be within a four-hour travel distance from the project site to help local emergency responders if a safety issue were to arise.
The group’s recommendations are helping to ensure New York’s ongoing transition to renewables is safe and responsible. “The battery energy storage industry is enabling communities across New York to transition to a clean energy future, and it is critical that we have the comprehensive safety standards in place,” said Hochul, in a statement.
The proposed recommendations are open for public comment until March 5, at which time the New York State Code Council will decide whether to include them in the next edition of the state’s fire code.
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