STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – In early December, Valerie Vislocky received a care package on her doorstep filled with a few bottles of water and a towel. Each were emblazoned with the logo of NineDot Energy and a handwritten note was tucked inside.
“Our company strives to create a sustainable energy future in the NYC metro area,” the memo, penned on NineDot letterhead, read. “We are building an energy storage site at 15-21 Tillman St. to support a more resilient grid in your community. You will receive a notice about the start of construction in the next several weeks.”
Construction fencing was recently erected just a few feet from Valerie Vislocky’s house in Manor Heights. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma/Hammel)(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma
Vislocky recalled how she immediately started researching battery energy storage systems (BESS) and read up on the type of lithium-ion facility that would soon be developing right next to her home. She said she didn’t like what she saw.
“This is practically in my backyard, and I’m reading about fires, toxic emissions and other hazards,” Vislocky said. “I have two small children, and that is where they play. The whole neighborhood is very uncomfortable about this.”
So Vislocky took to social media, called her local Community Board and contacted the office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn). On Feb. 4 she started a petition on Change.org. It collected close to 400 signatures in less than three days.
“As concerned residents of Staten Island, N.Y., we urge you to join us in demanding an immediate halt to the setup and installation of the lithium battery sites (BESS),” stated the petition. “This petition is personal to all of us who call this community our home, because we understand the potential dangers associated with such a facility located so close to our residences. The community was not made aware of this site being built until last minute, and we do not approve.”
Located at the corner of Manor Road and Tillman Street, across from The Manor Restaurant and A&C Superette and Salumeria in Manor Heights, the site served as a parking lot for years, Vislocky noted.
“It’s always been vacant,” she said. “Sometimes there’s a few cars. But it’s very quiet here. We’re all extremely concerned about the dangers associated with this.”
“The Tillman/Manor site is 5.5MW, we have begun construction, and we expect to achieve operations there by the end of 2025,” noted a representative from NineDot when questioned about the development at Manor Road. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma/Hammel)(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma
Developers and green energy proponents tout the lithium-ion structures — which started popping up in several NYC neighborhoods in 2022 — as quiet neighbors that are a necessary agent for renewable change. They are designed to remove pressure from the city’s stressed grid, using rechargeable batteries to store electrical energy from various sources, and then releasing that stored energy when needed.
There are currently more than a dozen of them located on Staten Island, each constructed to help the state meet some of its ambitious environmental goals. And many more are in the pipeline — several of which are set to receive more than $1.5 million in incentive awards from the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
But over the past two years, borough residents and local officials have voiced their concerns about the structures. Community Boards voted against their proximity to bakeries and storefronts; elected officials issued a moratorium on BESS applications filed within residential districts. In one instance, an energy developer retracted plans to place batteries in a Bulls Head church parking lot.
Now, in the wake of a toxic, days-long fire at a battery energy storage system in Moss Landing, California, Borough President Vito Fossella is once again calling for a widespread freeze on their construction in NYC.
This Manor Heights lot, which has been vacant for years, was recently cleared in preparation for construction of a BESS facility. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma/Hammel)(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma
“We called for a moratorium on these facilities and will continue to do so until, or unless, safety protocols are satisfactorily met,” Fossella noted when recently asked about the status of BESS development on the borough. “The city continues to play with fire. And the more of these fires we see in other parts of the country, the more we realize it could happen here quite easily. And it’s not just the fires, it’s the toxic fumes. How in good conscience can we build these facilities directly next to people’s homes?”
A representative from NineDot Energy, which has several BESS projects on Staten Island, said the company does not minimize neighbor concerns, and offered the following statement to clarify which safety measures have already been taken:
“The FDNY has examined the site and has no safety concerns. The City and the International Fire Code require a distance of 10 feet between any battery and a building — which this project abides by.”
NineDot also noted that the FDNY has “examined and tested the BESS technology used on this site [Tesla Megapacks] and determined the technology is safe for use in NYC, in large part because of the several layers of safety redundancy, which prevent so-called ‘thermal runaway’ [i.e., a fire spreading from one cell or module to another].”
Referencing the Change.org petition, the representative noted that “the FDNY’s warnings regarding lithium-ion batteries that are referenced in a petition were with regard to e-mobility devices, a different technology which, sadly, in New York has been completely unregulated until recently.”
The rep also referred to a a 2023 BESS fire in Warwick, New York, stating:
“[It] resulted in no injuries, and the Governor’s Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group concluded that there were absolutely no hazardous materials either in the air or in the water as a result. It’s also worth noting that the Warwick site used a battery technology which is not approved for use by the FDNY in New York.”
Still, Tillman Street residents said they are concerned.
“Our community already faces numerous challenges, and adding a potentially hazardous facility right next door only exacerbates these concerns,” the Change.org petition noted. “We believe that safety should always be prioritized over convenience or profit.”
Vislocky said that establishing such facilities near densely populated areas contradicts common sense safety measures observed by responsible industries worldwide.
“There has to be a better place to put this,” she concluded.
Residents of the area said they are hoping to voice their concerns at an upcoming Community Board 2 meeting, but the topic has not yet been placed on the agenda. A request for comment from the board was not returned in time for publication.
NineDot said it hopes to attend the Community Board 2 meeting to discuss the project in more detail. The company encouraged neighbors and community members to reach out with questions.
“The easiest way to do that is through the contact page on our website,” a company rep noted. “We try to respond to everyone within 24-48 hours.”