# Long Island town bans large battery storage

> Islip votes unanimously to block new battery facilities over fire safety concerns.
- Title: Long Island town bans large battery storage · ABC7 New York
- Summary: Islip votes unanimously to block new battery facilities over fire safety concerns. Communities can restrict energy storage projects even when state safety…
- Keywords: town of islip, hauppauge, long island, battery storage, lithium-ion batteries, fire safety, energy storage facilities, town board vote, new york fire code, scott munro, news, local
- Source: ABC7 New York — https://abc7ny.com/post/long-island-town-votes-ban-large-scale-battery-storage-facilities/19839834
- Published: 2026-09-16T16:26:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: town of islip, hauppauge, long island, battery storage, lithium-ion batteries, fire safety, energy storage facilities, town board vote, new york fire code, scott munro, news, local
## Islip bans large battery storage
The Town of Islip voted 5-0 Tuesday to prohibit new battery storage facilities with capacity exceeding 600 kilowatts per hour, blocking a proposed facility in Hauppauge.
## Fire department fears lithium fires
Hauppauge Fire Commissioner Scott Munro warned that lithium-ion battery fires release dangerous chemicals like hydrogen fluoride and can burn even when submerged in water.

> These batteries are known to carry different chemicals... hydrogen fluoride released in gases when they are on fire.
## Munro says let it burn
The fire commissioner stated there's little the department can do during a lithium-ion battery fire except allow it to burn, highlighting the department's unpreparedness.

> There's nothing much that the fire department can do, other than allowing them... that's where we hear the term, 'Let it burn.'
## New York updated fire code
New York's 2025 fire code update requires battery storage sites to undergo large-scale fire testing and contain fires within metal enclosures to address safety concerns.
## Developer says code addresses risks
Key Capture Energy project developer Lucia Yu argued the updated state fire code thoroughly addresses safety concerns and includes rigorous requirements for all battery storage projects.

> The safety concerns that initially prompted this discussion have been thoroughly addressed through New York State's updated fire code.
## Local control trumps state standards
Despite New York's updated fire code, Islip's ban shows towns can restrict battery storage facilities if local officials believe their emergency services cannot safely handle incidents.
## Key takeaway

Communities can restrict energy storage projects even when state safety codes exist, if local officials believe their fire departments lack adequate response capabilities.