B&D attorneys recently secured approval from the New York State Public Service Commission for the construction of the largest battery storage facility in New York State history on behalf of Ravenswood Development, a subsidiary of firm client LS Power Development. The 316-megawatt Ravenswood energy storage facility, which will hold enough electricity to power over 250,000 households over an eight-hour period, will be built on a portion of the Ravenswood Generating Station property in Long Island City, Queens, New York.

The first-of-its-kind project, which aims to reduce the state's reliance on oil and natural gas and is proposed to be developed in three phases, will be the first major use of energy storage for peaking power in the Northeast United States. The project will store electricity drawn from the grid and generated by other facilities, and the stored energy would then be released to the grid in accordance with New York Independent System Operator’s and Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.’s dispatch orders.

“Energy storage is vital to building flexibility into the grid and advancing Governor Cuomo’s ambitious clean energy goals. Projects like Ravenswood will enable us to grow the industry and create jobs while we continue on our path toward meeting the country's largest energy storage target,” said Commission Chair John Rhodes. “When complete, this facility will displace energy produced from fossil plants during peak periods, resulting in cleaner air and reduced carbon emissions.”

"The project represents a unique opportunity to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and expand clean energy resource use, consistent with the State’s clean energy goals," said B&D Principals Michael Murphy and John Paul (New York), who represented Ravenswood Development before the Public Service Commission.

The New York State Public Service Commission issued the Order in October granting a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity under Section 68 of the Public Service Law, and confirming that Ravenswood Development would be subject to lightened regulation under the Public Service Law as a participant in the wholesale electric market.

Click here for the New York State Public Service Commission's official press release. The project approval has also been covered in major news outlets including the New York Daily News and Bloomberg.