A third fire in two years at lithium-ion battery storage facilities in Warwick, N.Y., has renewed concerns among local officials about proposed projects in Ulster County and intensified a growing political rift over the safety of such sites.
The most recent fire started Friday night at a facility operated by Convergent Energy. Officials in Orange County said the fire, attributed to heavy rain and wind, was small and quickly contained. In 2023, the same site had a fire, followed shortly after by a blaze at a separate facility owned by the Warwick Central School District.
The incidents are reverberating locally, where officials across the political spectrum have raised concerns about the safety of battery facilities. In September, the Town of Hurley enacted a six-month moratorium on battery projects in response to a 250-megawatt facility proposal brought by San Diego-based Tera-Gen in the neighboring Town of Ulster. A separate storage facility is being proposed in Saugerties by Albany-based Key Capture Energy.
Hurley Supervisor Michael Boms, a Democrat who toured the Warwick school district site in October, said Friday’s fire should prompt state and local Democrats who support battery storage to reconsider.
“I think this should give them pause,” Boms said. “They said this would never happen again. And it happened again. It’s just mind-boggling.”
The fire comes three months after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the $1 billion Sustainable Future Program, aimed at accelerating renewable energy development statewide. That push has deepened divisions among Democrats over the safety of lithium-ion battery storage. In recent months, Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha and State Sen. Michelle Hinchey have publicly differed with local Democrats, including Boms, on the issue.
“Of course, we have to make sure that our energy sector is safe. Not just battery storage, everything,” Shrestha said. “We justify the risks with energy because we need it. We aren’t going back to burning candles.”
She added that the Warwick facility had been grandfathered under older safety standards, and that newer proposals—such as the Saugerties project—would be subject to stricter requirements set by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
“We have to hold every actor to the highest standard possible to make sure these facilities are as safe as possible,” Shrestha said.
Hinchey did not respond to a request for comment.
More than two dozen communities statewide have slowed or halted development of such facilities, citing safety and environmental risks. Opponents have cited a spate of lithium-ion battery fires nationwide in recent years. In addition to Warwick, fires have been reported in Missouri, California, Wisconsin, and Arizona, where noxious fumes unsettled residents. Lithium-ion battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish because damaged and overheated cells can reignite repeatedly, even after flames seem to be under control. According to a fire official, the Warwick battery storage fire incident was contained within the facility and self-extinguished exactly as intended by the updated New York State Fire Code requirements for these systems. There was no fire spread, no injuries, no evacuations, and no immediate concerns to public safety or air quality. Firefighters brought the situation under control within hours, the official said.
Saugerties Supervisor Fred Costello said the Warwick fire raised concerns, adding he remains open to reviewing future proposals. Key Capture Energy is scheduled to appear before the town’s planning board with its proposal at a Jan. 20 meeting.
“I don’t want to speculate too much, but we still need to take this seriously,” Costello said. “I expect a lot of community dialogue with a lot of input from the developers. We will try to make a good decision.”
Paul Williamson, Key Capture Energy’s director of development, said the company understands residents’ concerns and said its proposed facility would meet newer, stricter standards.
“While we are aware of the incident in Warwick, KCE’s proposed project will have different battery equipment and battery containers than those in the Warwick system, and will fully comply with New York’s updated fire and safety codes, which did not apply to systems installed before 2025,” Williamson said in a statement to The Overlook. “We understand that folks have questions and our team will be meeting with Town Officials, first responders, residents and community stakeholders to make sure those questions are addressed as the permitting process begins in the first quarter of 2026.”
Boms said Hurley is expected to enact a permanent ban on lithium-ion battery storage facilities early next year. He said he remains unconvinced that the Warwick fires are isolated events.
He said that Shrestha and Hinchey “are not listening to their constituents.”
“These facilities are still safe?,” Boms said. “Tell that to Warwick.”
Jim Rich is a senior reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.