Town, county officials assessing potential impacts from proposed advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) facility
LOWVILLE- Local officials continue their work in assessing any potential impacts that may arise from a proposed project for an advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) facility at one of two townships in Lewis County (Croghan and/or Watson).
"A lot of this is fairly new technology to balance the grid," said the County Manager Timothy Hunt. "When peak demand shows up, the release it (the power) back into the grid."
County officials clarify that this proposition is still in its early stages and many community members have inquired about the legal, engineering, and environmental requirements associated with this initiative.
"I don't want anyone to jump the gun on it because we just don't know the impact it will have on our water system, what it might do to our habitat as far as our animals and things like that," said Brooke Pate. She resides in Belfort, NY.
"As taxpayers, we kind of get frustrated that we are not allowed to ride snowmobiles in certain areas and four wheelers in certain areas, but then someone like this that can throw billions of dollars in and just, you know, take down two-hundred acres to put up a plant like this."
***Public feedback forum here***
Be sure to listen to our latest on-air segment from Tuesday, February 25, 2025:
Given the scale of the project, local officials say the host municipality will utilize extensive legal review, engineering assessments, and environmental evaluations during the planning process.
In addition to the local planning reviews relative to local zoning laws, after consulting with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), officials have determined that the project would likely also require multiple state permits, including but not limited to:
Potential NYSDEC Permit Requirements Boring Sample Permit:
To assess the geological composition of the site, Hydrostor would need to drill and extract rock samples for testing. The NYSDEC typically requires a permit for drilling deeper than 500-feet.
Mining Permit:
The project involves excavating rock to create underground storage for compressed air, with excavation reaching depths of approximately 2,000–3,000 feet.
The storage chamber would be roughly the size of a football field. Standard mining permits typically include regulations on blasting, requiring licensed professionals and adherence to industry standards.
These permits often restrict blasting to business hours on weekdays, prohibiting activity at night, on weekends, and holidays. Additionally, impact thresholds follow the z-curve, and blasting is typically prohibited within 500 feet of adjacent properties.
Noise conditions would require adherence to a standard decibel limit to minimize sound impact on surrounding areas.
As part of the mining permitting process, NYSDEC typically conducts a thorough environmental review as the Lead Agency to assess potential impacts to the environment.
Image via Lewis County.gov.
