SARANAC LAKE — An energy company is proposing an energy storage battery facility on Trudeau Road. The St. Armand town board is considering adopting a one-year moratorium prohibiting these types of facilities, to give them time to gather information about the pros and cons and to make an informed decision.

These facilities have been controversial elsewhere in the Adirondacks due to fire and environmental concerns. The first such facility in the Park was just approved last month.

The company, Carson Power, is scheduled to have representatives attend a town board meeting on Feb. 19 for an informational presentation. Town Supervisor Davina Thurston said the board will also vote on the moratorium that night.

Carson Power is proposing the facility on private property next to the National Grid substation near the Mount Pisgah Ski Area. Carson Power became the first to get approval for an energy storage facility of this size from the Adirondack Park Agency just a few weeks ago, in the town of Northampton on the southeastern edge of the Adirondack Park.

Several years ago, a battery energy storage facility was proposed by Rev Renewables in Raquette Lake, but severe public opposition led to the plans being dropped. The town of Long Lake had also passed a one-year moratorium on these facilities after public opposition grew.

Energy storage facilities gather extra energy from the grid during low-demand times and hold it for peak demand times. This allows energy derived from renewable sources like solar or wind to be held in storage for times when the sun isn’t shining or wind isn’t blowing.

“This is new technology with new concerns; we want to make sure we are educating ourselves and our residents about this project and take into account all of the pros and cons,” Thurston said.

Most energy storage facilities use lithium-ion batteries. Fires are rare, but these batteries can experience “thermal runaway,” in which heated cells catch fire and create their own oxygen, making extinguishing the flames very hard.

In December, a fire at an energy storage facility owned by Convergent Energy and Power in Warwick burned for several days as multiple departments worked to contain it. Water intrusion during a storm may have caused the fire, according to officials. These types of fires cannot be extinguished with water and emit dangerous compounds like hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen fluoride.

In New York, there have been five battery storage facility fires since 2023, one in Lyme, one in East Hampton and three in Warwick. None were owned by Carson Power. The recent fire in Warwick was due to an unauthorized and non-compliant system, according to village officials there, and should not have been operating.

The facility on Trudeau Road is the first battery energy storage facility proposed in Essex County.

“I’m not necessarily opposed to them, but I don’t know enough about it to make an informed decision,” Thurston said.

She’s read about the fires and the harmful chemicals burning batteries can put off.

“But I don’t want to say that that’s what this company is doing, because I just don’t know,” she said.

If these facilities are deemed desirable, she said the town would pass a local law with rules and regulations and develop a building permit for this type of structure. The APA and the state Department of Environmental Conservation would also likely be involved.

Thurston said they want to know the potential ramifications or benefits of having a facility in town.

“We don’t have zoning, so a moratorium is really the only way that we can put the brakes on it to gather the information, to make sure everybody is aware of what’s going on, to listen to the residents and hear their concerns,” Thurston said. “It may turn out to be great. It may turn out to be something positive and everybody wants to do it, but I want to make sure before we move forward.”

The meeting on Feb. 19 starts at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Armand Town Hall. It will also be streamed on GoTo Meeting at meet.goto.com/997725293 or by phone by calling 646-749-3122 and using access code 997-725-293.

To install the GoTo Meeting app before the meeting, go to meet.goto.com/install.