Residents press council on safety, fire and groundwater risks of proposed battery-storage project

A second theme at the April 27 North Kingstown council meeting was community concern about a proposed large-scale battery-storage facility in West Davisville.

Residents and technical experts said the facility’s fire risk and potential for prolonged burning, hazardous combustion products (hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide and VOCs), and contaminated firefighting runoff are not adequately addressed by current plans. Speakers asked for detailed air-quality modeling for fire scenarios, independent inspection schedules, explicit emergency-response plans for nearby daycare and schools, and financial assurances for cleanup and decommissioning.

Several speakers noted that QDC earlier described the planned battery technology as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) in initial materials but that developer presentations also mentioned lithium-ion chemistry; speakers emphasized the difference in energy density and fire hazard between chemistries. Public commenters asked whether the developer has operational experience with facilities of this scale and requested clear plans for fire protection, diking and handling contaminated runoff.

Town Manager Ralph Morris and council members said they will continue to pursue information from the developer and state agencies; multiple residents asked the council to add specific conditions (bonding, independent inspectors, and public notice requirements) if the project advances. The town is monitoring the battery project separately from the sewage-sludge matter and will request additional technical detail from QDC and the developer.