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Proposed Lithium-ion Battery Plant in Southeast Queens Spurs Community Concern
Southeast Queens NY — A proposal by NineDot Energy to build a lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the St. Albans/ Addisleigh Park area of Southeast Queens has sparked ongoing protests and vocal opposition from local residents and civic leaders.
NineDot Energy, a Brooklyn-based clean energy developer, is planning to build a community-scale battery storage facility — part of a wave of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects the company says will help the region’s energy grid store renewable power, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and meet New York’s climate goals.
Community Safety and Fire Risk Concerns
Many Southeast Queens residents, including members of the Addisleigh Park Civic Association, and Southeast Queens environmental justice groups, are concerned about the plant’s proposed location in a primarily residential area that is rich in history and home to families, seniors, and community institutions.
Critics point specifically to the risk of lithium-ion battery fires, which have drawn national attention because of their intensity and difficulty to extinguish once they ignite. A high-profile fire at a large battery storage facility in California burned for days and forced evacuations — a reminder of the safety challenges associated with the technology.
In St. Albans, residents fear that any such incident near homes, schools, senior centers, and healthcare facilities could have devastating consequences — particularly in a historic neighborhood like Addisleigh Park, known as “Black Hollywood East” for attracting jazz legends, sports icons and cultural figures throughout the 20th century. “One of the biggest concerns is fire,” a community member told local media this summer, noting that once lithium batteries enter thermal runaway — a chain reaction of overheating — the blaze can be nearly impossible to extinguish and release dangerous gases that imperil nearby homes and residents.
