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New York awards eight battery storage projects
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New York State has awarded contracts for eight battery-energy storage plants as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to deliver about 6,000 megawatts of storage across the state by 2030. NYSERDA announced the winners on Wednesday, as first reported by newsday.com. NYSERDA said each named project will use lithium-ion technology and is expected to meet the updated New York fire-code safety requirements before entering service in 2030. Two of the awarded sites are in Brookhaven Town — one in Holtsville and one in Manorville — where community opposition and pending legal fights have dogged developers.
Gov. [Kathy] Hochul shouldn’t have the ability to decide what’s happening in our town
Fran Lunati, Holbrook resident and project opponent
Key takeaways
- NYSERDA announced awards for eight new battery-energy storage plants as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to add about 6,000 megawatts of storage by 2030.
- All eight projects propose using lithium-ion batteries and are scheduled to be in operation by 2030 under updated New York fire-code safety standards.
- Two of the awards are for Brookhaven Town sites: a Holtsville plant on Morris Avenue and a Manorville facility at 62 Weeks Avenue.
- The Manorville project is described as 150 megawatts on three parcels of just over 9 acres; the Holtsville site is linked to 110-megawatts of battery capacity associated with the Sunrise Wind interconnection.
- Local opposition, a developer lawsuit by Savion Energy and an appeal by Suffolk County to the state Appellate Division remain active hurdles for the Brookhaven projects.
Table of contents
How these awards fit New York’s 2030 storage goal
NYSERDA’s announcement advances Gov. Kathy Hochul’s target to deploy roughly 6,000 megawatts of battery-energy storage statewide by 2030. The set of awards released on Wednesday names eight projects that, according to the state notice, will use lithium-ion battery systems and must meet the state’s tightened fire-code safety requirements before they begin operating.
NYSERDA chief executive Doreen Harris and other agency officials were not available for in-person interviews, the announcement said. The authority also indicated it will name additional winners by the end of the year, continuing the staged rollout that supports the governor’s grid reliability and decarbonisation plans.
Because the state has tied these awards to updated safety standards, proponents say the deployments are designed to reduce reliance on fossil-fired peaker plants while delivering the capacity needed to integrate offshore wind and other renewables into New York’s grid.
Local opposition and legal headwinds in Brookhaven
Two of the awarded facilities are sited in Brookhaven Town: a Holtsville project on Morris Avenue and a Manorville project at 62 Weeks Avenue. Both sites have been the focus of sustained community concern, and the town has signalled hesitancy about issuing final construction permits.
Opponents living near the Holtsville proposal have argued publicly about risks to groundwater and local air quality. Fran Lunati, a Holbrook resident and project opponent, said, "Gov. [Kathy] Hochul shouldn’t have the ability to decide what’s happening in our town," and vowed continued resistance to protect drinking water and clean air.
The Holtsville project has a legal history: Savion Energy sued Suffolk County after the county declined a needed variance, and although Savion prevailed in State Supreme Court, Suffolk has filed an appeal with the state Appellate Division. Those court actions and municipal permitting choices now form the immediate barrier to construction and operation.
Project details and grid value highlighted by developers
Project proponents have stressed the locational benefits of the Brookhaven awards for Long Island’s grid. William J. Miller of ClearView Consultants, who has advised Holtsville developers, said the site links to an interconnection point that also serves Sunrise Wind and argued that this raises the site’s value for local reliability.
NYSERDA's award listing ties the Holtsville award to 110-megawatts of battery capacity connected to that interconnection. Key Capture Energy's project filing lists the Manorville facility as 150 megawatts sited on three parcels that together cover just over 9 acres immediately south of the Long Island Expressway.
Key Capture Energy is identified as the developer planning the Manorville facility; its spokesman, Chris Linsmayer, said the project will support Long Island demand and that the company has met with local fire departments. He also said the site lies more than 1.5 miles from the Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School.
Safety, past incidents and the regulatory frame
The awards follow a state investigation into a toxic plume in East Hampton that the state said traced to a fire-suppression system used at a smaller battery facility after a 30-hour thermal-runaway fire in 2023. That history has become a central point for critics who worry about chemical risks and emergency response planning at large-scale battery sites.
NYSERDA framed the new awards as delivering public-health benefits by reducing exposure to polluting generators, while developers point to updated fire-code requirements and planned emergency-response plans as safeguards. Key Capture’s spokesman said a comprehensive emergency response plan will be finalised with local fire departments before operations begin, as required by the updated code.
Regulatory scrutiny and the requirement to meet the revised fire code are likely to shape how quickly projects move from award to construction and then to operation by 2030, since final permits and community agreements remain outstanding in several host towns.
| Project | Location | Reported capacity | Notable attribute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holtsville (Morris Avenue) | Brookhaven Town | 110 megawatts | Linked to Sunrise Wind interconnection |
| Manorville (62 Weeks Avenue) | Brookhaven Town | 150 megawatts | Three parcels just over 9 acres; >1.5 miles from school |
| Proposed Islip Tier 3 plant (Key Capture Energy) | Islip Town (subject of ban) | 79 megawatts (proposed) | Would have been prevented by Islip’s Tier 3 ban |
How the awards could play out
The case for
- The awards advance Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2030 goal and, if built, would add dispatchable capacity to help integrate offshore wind and renewables into the grid.
- Tying permits and contracts to the updated New York fire code and formal emergency-response plans could reduce operational risk compared with earlier, smaller installations.
The case against
- Local resistance, active lawsuits (Savion Energy against Suffolk County and the pending Appellate Division appeal) and municipal permitting hesitancy in Brookhaven and elsewhere could delay or block projects.
- New local policy moves such as Islip’s ban on Tier 3 plants create an uneven permitting environment that may stop some of the largest proposed facilities from being built.
What to be careful about
- Delays or reversals in municipal permitting in Brookhaven that prevent final construction approvals.
- Uncertainty from ongoing litigation, including Suffolk County’s appeal to the state Appellate Division of the Savion case.
- Public concerns after a 30-hour thermal-runaway fire in 2023 and the subsequent toxic plume investigation in East Hampton, which could prompt additional safety conditions or opposition.
The bottom line
The latest NYSERDA awards mark a measurable advance toward New York’s 2030 battery target, but significant local and legal friction remains. Two Brookhaven sites provide concrete examples: developers stress grid value and interconnection benefits, while opponents point to safety, groundwater and local control. With additional award announcements promised by year end 2026 and active court challenges unresolved, whether these particular facilities enter service on the state’s 2030 timetable will depend as much on permitting and litigation as on the technical and regulatory conditions now attached to the awards.
What to watch
- Watch for NYSERDA to name additional battery project award winners by year's end 2026, as the agency signalled it would.
- Watch for the state Appellate Division decision on Suffolk County’s appeal of the Savion Energy ruling; no date has been set.
- Watch for Brookhaven Town to decide whether to issue final construction permits for the Holtsville and Manorville projects; no date has been set.
Frequently asked questions
How many projects did New York award and why does it matter?
NYSERDA announced awards for eight battery-energy storage projects, a step toward Gov. Kathy Hochul’s goal of about 6,000 megawatts of storage by 2030; those deployments are intended to add dispatchable capacity to support renewable integration and grid reliability.
When will the awarded projects be operating and what technology will they use?
The projects named in the announcement all propose using lithium-ion batteries and are slated to be in operation by 2030, with each required to meet the state’s updated fire-code safety standards before beginning service.
What are the obstacles facing the Brookhaven projects?
The two Brookhaven awards — Holtsville (Morris Avenue) and Manorville (62 Weeks Avenue) — face local opposition, an active lawsuit history (Savion Energy sued Suffolk County and won in State Supreme Court), and a pending Suffolk County appeal to the state Appellate Division, any of which could delay or block construction.
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