NEW SCOTLAND — The New Scotland Planning Board has set an Oct. 7 public hearing for the large-scale battery energy storage system proposed for Indian Fields Road in Feura Bush. 

RIC Energy is seeking permission to install a five-megawatt battery energy storage system, or BESS, on seven acres of the 137-acre New Scotland Beagle Club.

The installation would involve five batteries, each measuring eight feet high by six feet wide and 30 feet long, that absorb solar energy during the day and send it to the grid during peak-use evening hours; the batteries discharge the rough equivalent of the average daily electricity consumption of almost 700 homes. 

First proposed in July, the project raised safety concerns from both the planning board and members of the local volunteer fire department tasked with responding to any issues at the site.

RIC has been meticulous in its response to those concerns; the company has also scheduled a training session for Sept. 13 at the Onesquethaw Volunteer Fire Company’s Tarrytown Road station. 

Asked about the training by Chairman Jeffrey Baker during a recent planning board meeting, RIC’s Wes Hillegas said on Sept. 2 that the four-hour training would involve:

— An introduction to the history of lithium-ion batteries;

— A review of battery chemistry and failure modes;

— An overview of codes and standards;

—  A discussion on firefighting management applications as they relate to battery failures;

—  An introduction to the site-specific draft emergency response plan; and

—   A question and answer session.