Fire Safety Concerns Raised Over Bridgewater Battery Storage Plan

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Fire safety concerns were raised at Bridgewater's most recent review of a proposed battery energy storage project at 760 East Main St.

The Bridgewater Township Zoning Board of Adjustment held a special meeting on Tuesday, where board members focused on what could happen if a fire broke out at the site.

The application, from Rockland APV, Bridgewater Energy LLC, is looking to construct a battery energy storage system(BESS) on the 7.13-acre tract at the southwest corner of East Main Street and Polhemus Lane.

At the meeting, Leonard Ganesh Deonarine, a fire and safety expert who had testified previously at the Aug. 3 meeting, returned to address the board.

Deonarine told the board he was there to explain a plume dispersion analysis prepared by Jensen Hughes using testing on the Trina Storage equipment proposed for the Bridgewater site.

He said the equipment was set on fire in testing by a third party, and the resulting gas data was then used in a computerized model that examined nearby buildings and whether people could be exposed if a fire occurred.

"We combined the modeling report of toxic gas release against the surrounding structures and facilities where people might be exposed to the toxic gases produced if the equipment caught fire," Deonarine said.

He said the analysis focused on carbon monoxide and hydrogen fluoride and on two acute exposure guideline levels published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Level 1, he said, would involve irritation without disabling effects. Level 2 would involve more serious exposure.

Deonarine testified that in a flaming event, carbon monoxide at the Level 2 threshold extended 60.5 feet from a container, while hydrogen fluoride extended 4.6 feet.

He said the nearest residence shown in the report was about 560 feet away. He also said the applicant’s emergency plan uses a 200-foot safety perimeter for unprotected people, based on NFPA 855.

Board members questioned him about strong winds, calm weather, nearby workers and whether neighboring properties would need to be evacuated.

Deonarine said the modeling used prevailing wind direction and that, under the study and the emergency plan, people more than 200 feet away would not need evacuation for this scenario.

Major Battery Fires

Bridgewater officials also spent part of the recent hearing examining how the facility would be handled in a fire and whether lessons from major battery fires elsewhere have been addressed in the design proposed for the township.

Deonarine compared the Bridgewater proposal with battery storage fires in Surprise, Arizona; Warwick, New York; Gateway in San Diego; and Moss Landing, California.

Deonarine said the proposed Trina storage containers for Bridgewater have features that older systems did not, including ventilation, remote monitoring, gas venting, signage required by current code and a decommissioning plan.

The testimony also stated that the applicant would provide annual training for fire personnel at its expense.

Deonarine said firefighters should not open or investigate the inside of a battery storage container during an incident.

"It's not a firefighter's job," he said, comparing it to asking firefighters to open electrical equipment inside a substation.

He also said current planning calls for responders to keep their distance, protect the public and allow the fire to burn itself out or let the installed suppression system work.

Board members questioned the witness about the 2019 Surprise, Arizona fire and whether a similar event could happen here.

The fire being referred to broke out at an APS McMicken Battery Storage Facility in Surprise, Arizona in April 2019, according to Azfamily.com. Four firefighters were severely injured when they opened a door to the building, which created an explosion, throwing the firefighters into a fence.

Deonarine said the Arizona installation differed in battery chemistry and lacked protections now cited in testimony, including automatic ventilation and remote monitoring.

When asked whether opening doors in an enclosed installation contributed to an explosion there, Deonarine said, "your description is accurate. It's the buildup of gases with automatic ventilation. You don't get the buildup of gases and this new equipment has exhaust fans and ventilation has deflogration systems built into it."

The hearing will be carried to Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.

Previous Reporting:

• Battery Storage Plan Pressed On Flooding, Security, Fire Safety In Bridgewater
• Bridgewater Lithium Battery Storage Proposal Draws Concerns Over Fire Safety
• Lithium Battery Storage Facility Proposed In Bridgewater

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