Back in November, a public hearing was held at a Montgomery Industrial Development Agency (IDA) board meeting for a proposed 169-watt megawatt energy storage project. Last week, another public hearing took place concerning the facility, and locals weren’t too enthused.

The said project, orchestrated by Key Capture Energy (KCE), consists of 8.03 acres of space to hold battery storage units and is proposed to be built in between Stone Castle and Browns Road, just north of 17K. According to the project’s application, “Key Capture Energy proposes to develop a utility scale battery storage facility to respond to intermittent grid fluctuations and to enhance power grid reliability by providing ancillary services to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).”

KCE is a group founded in 2016 that creates large-scale renewable energy projects.

There haven’t been any decisions yet and written comment is still being taken for the project; however, in the meantime, locals are still vocalizing concerns.

Village of Montgomery resident Don Berger noted that this was a controversial project, adding that it wouldn’t bring any jobs or benefits to the community. “What benefits is this thing bringing to our community other than a grievance? That’s all I’m hearing from the neighbors and people I’ve talked to. It’s not a welcomed project,” said Berger.

Coldenham resident Joe Keenan added to Berger’s comment on jobs, stating that it will bring in jobs at first to prepare the project’s site but that’s the extent. “It’s gonna be temporary jobs at the best [for] site preparation. They come in with these units, they plop them down and they hook to the grid. Then they go away and there’s no jobs,” Keenan stated.

Randi Picarello, executive director of the Business Council of Greater Montgomery, noted that she’s done her own research on the project.

“The more I research and the more I go down the rabbit hole of available stuff on this company and on all of the different risks involved in a battery storage facility, the more uncomfortable I am with it, to be quite honest with you,” Picarello said to the IDA.