BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week
CANTON – The Canton Town Board continues to iron out a revised safety response plan with EDF Renewables, developers of the Rich Road solar electric generating facility with up to 240 megawatts in capacity along with 20 megawatts of battery energy storage.
In the wake of the fire at a Chaumont battery storage facility this summer, town officials immediately expressed their concerns to EDF Renewables.
In August, the town’s solar attorney William Buchan penned and sent a letter to EDF. The letter read “Town board members have questions and have been asked many more questions by constituents concerning the potential for battery fires at the RREC and whether, like Chaumont, a fire associated with the EDF facility would cause similar impacts to town resident including smoke likely containing compounds that are hazardous to human health when ingested, fires that once ignited cannot be quenched with normal fire fighting technologies available to Canton, and why is it necessary for EDF to bring a technology with a very high potential to create a public nuisance to Canton.”
At Wednesday night’s monthly meeting, a tentative meeting between the town and EDF is slated in October.
“Let’s consider the resources we have. Talk with first responders and emergency personnel before making recommendations to the law,” said Buchan. “It’s an important topic that needs to be examined at some depth.”
The issue of water supply was a focal point.
“We will look at the battery storage law and look at having more language about water supply,” Buchan said.
The nearest direct water supply is located approximately three miles from the solar farm site.
