Numerous developers including D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) in our valley are vying to plug into the large Eversource electrical transmission line that runs from North Bloomfield to Agawam. Its desire is to install massive batteries that are primarily made from lithium and other toxic metals. The problem is that the public isn’t being told about some of their locations. We need to know now before they bypass towns and go to the state for required approvals for construction.
Buried deep in the ISO–New England website, the organization that manages all the transmission lines 69 kilovolts and up for all six New England states, one can find a spreadsheet file containing rather interesting information. This webpage has a quirky title and is known as the “Generator Interconnection Queue.” Contained therein is data for all the requests, including from utilities such as Eversource, for making connections or changes to the electric power grid. This includes all requests for additions such as large solar and battery (BESS) projects. To process applications to tie into the regional grid, an analysis employing complex computer programs that account for all other generation in the system and the demand from electric customers is required. You can blame that on Nicoli Tesla, the man not the car. It was his genius that gave us the modern alternating current power grid.
Dig into that file and under position 1192 you will find where Broadleaf Solar on November 4, 2021, originally submitted a request to interconnect 101.1 megawatts of photovoltaic solar panels. The location of this interconnection described as “N. Bloomfield to Agawam 345kV Line. POI is approximately 3.6 mi north of N. Bloomfield (345kV) and 11.5 mi south of Agawam (345kV).” (POI is industry jargon for Point of Interconnection, which in this case occurs in East Granby near Route 20.
Fast forward to May 6 of this year when an update was filed with ISO-New England. That update was entered as “Battery Storage addition (QP1192)”. The “1192” references back to the original Broadleaf Solar filing. This time we have both solar and battery facilities being reported based on the “Fuel Type” designation of “SUN BAT.” The combined interconnection is for 202.2 megawatts and at the same location as the original solar project. The revised request is “To interconnect at the POI of Broadleaf Storage, via a shared facility. It is connected as a tap at existing 345 kV line between N. Bloomfield to Agawam Line. POI is approximately 3.6 mi north of N. Bloomfield and 11.5 mi south of Agawam.”
You don’t have to be an engineer to figure out that the batteries are getting plugged in at the same point.
The missing part is the answer to the question: what is the proposed location for the batteries? For all practical purposes it is either in Granby along with the solar panels or another site in East Granby.
Wonder when DESRI was going to publicly inform the towns about this major change?