Residents in Halstead attended a community meeting Thursday evening to speak against a proposed battery energy storage system.
The project has been proposed for Halstead’s industrial park, and it involves using batteries to store electricity for use when it’s needed. Some of the batteries involved would be lithium-ion batteries. The system could power 200,000 homes for up to four hours.
City leaders are considering an application from the firm Concurrent to place the system in the industrial park, but zoning regulations need to be changed.
Some residents voiced concern over the safety of lithium-ion batteries and the potential for the storage facility to pollute nearby farmland. Those in favor of the project say it would help power the community and alleviate pressure on the local grid at peak times and in the case of a blackout.
