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Towns of Croghan and Watson Engaged in Fact-Finding
of Potential Energy Storage Facility Project
Published: February 20, 2025
at 12:30 p.m.
By: Press Release from Lewis County Public Relations
TOWN OF CROGHAN AND TOWN OF WATSON ENGAGED IN
FACT-FINDING OF POTENTIAL ENERGY STORAGE FACILITY
LOWVILLE, NY – The Towns of
Croghan and Watson have been approached by Hydrostor,
a Canadian-based company specializing in Advanced Compressed Air Energy
Storage (A-CAES), regarding potential sites for an energy storage facility
in Lewis County. Discussions remain in the early stages, with local and
county officials working to gather information and assess the impacts of this project.
Project Timeline:
·
December 18, 2024 – Lewis County officials met with Hydrostor for an initial introduction to the proposed
project.
·
January 30, 2025 – County leaders, town officials,
and Hydrostor representatives met to discuss the
project concept.
·
February 13, 2025 – County and town leaders convened
to voice concerns, ask questions, and explore potential options.
·
February 19, 2025 – County and town officials met
with the Planning and Natural Resources Director from Kern County,
California, where a similar facility is in its final planning stages. This
provided an opportunity to ask questions, gain insights, and discuss
possible next steps based on their experience.
·
March 11, 2025 – Tentative meeting scheduled with
the towns and Hydrostor representatives to ask
more questions and gain clarification on key concerns.
Current Status
and Key Takeaways:
·
No formal applications have been
submitted to advance the project.
·
Neither town has agreed to move forward
at this time, as many questions remain unanswered, and a thorough planning
review process will begin after receiving an official application.
·
Legitimacy of the project is still being
assessed.
·
Lewis County's role is to support the
towns in reviewing this complex proposal by offering guidance and resources
to assess potential impacts. However, this is not a county-led
project.
·
An online form will soon be available for residents to
submit written questions and concerns, which the towns will compile and
address with Hydrostor.
·
Public information sessions will be held but
currently are not scheduled, as both towns are assessing whether this is a
legitimate project.
Discussions will
continue as officials work to gather information and address concerns.
Further updates will be provided as more details become available.
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