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Home My WebLink AboutNicola_Robinson_email for the public hearing on June 6th with this document as a pdf_Attachment_20220522TESTIMONIAL: This statement is against the proposal made by; Bufflehead Energy Storage System, PSE and the owner of Parcel # 1623059131, to install 9.3 acres of Grid Scale, hazardous Lithium‐ion battery megapacks, with a total destructive foot print of 16 acres. Good day Mr Mayor, Council Members, City Staff and the Administration. I hope all is well with you and yours? The residents of this community, across from the River View Park are grateful for the time and interest that you Mr. Mayor, City Council members, City Staff and the current administration have shown by listening to us, hearing us and responding to our concerns. Please reject the pre‐application from Bufflehead Energy Storage System in Renton proposed on Parcel # 1623059131, and any modification that might be offered, such as a decrease in size, of any BESS installation at this location. PSE has had this type of system in mind for many years, and in May of 2021 PSE did a 'System Impact Study' (listed below**) for the BESS installation they are proposing here in Renton. To PSE, this BESS now seamed feasible, as the result of; increasing the capacity of transformers, upgrading the high voltage wires between Redmond and Renton, and a new and increased capacity substation at Richard's Creek in Bellevue. What they neglected to take into account was the negative and destructive impact it would have on this community and families. It would wipe out the wildlife corridor, wildlife habitat, and woods, and create the risk of polluting the aquifer, Cedar River, wetland, streams, and the ever present risk due to the slide hazard. They also conveniently ignored the current designation of this parcel as LDSF, (Low Density Single Family), which it has been since 1982, as well as the fact that this parcel is included in the Critical and Sensitive areas maps of Renton. As documented below, with incidents as recently as March and April of this year, and regular occurrences over the last four years, there are continued risks associated with ongoing hazards from fires, explosions, emission of toxic gasses, breakdown of safety measures, software malfunctions and potential pollution of our waterways and destruction of the environment. **Queue position: 99 Request date: 4/15/2021 System Impact Study NRIS King County, WA. Max summer output: 250 MW Max winter output: 250 MW Interconnection facility: Talbot Hill 230 kV Substation Projected in‐service date: 1/6/2024 BESS Should this study have been made available to Renton's permitting/planning department, along with the Pre‐application? It is not made publicly available. Below is a link that will go to a process page, to request said documents. https://www.prod.aws.pse.com/‐/media/PDFs/4A‐ PSEI_NDA_Request_Procedures.pdf?modified=20200922215317 Link to PSE table showing this study listed: https://www.prod.aws.pse.com/pages/transmission/obtaining‐services/transmission‐queue There is second study that shares the same 'Queue position number.' Large Generator Interconnection System Impact Study for 250 MW of battery energy storage in King County, WA. Queue Position No. 99. Completed November 11, 2021. The confidence they seem to have that this project will be approved is evidenced by the 'Projected In‐ service Date’ listed as 1/6/2024, and this is reason for our continued concern? It is evident that the only concern of the involved parties who are putting forward this proposal/pre‐ application, is to provide energy to the new Richards Creek substation in Bellevue and therefore to provide energy to Bellevue. That intention they document in their 'Energize East‐side EIS Study' (quotes below) for Bellevue, stating; ‘North Bellevue customers are at risk of outages,’ and that energy would be transferred to the new Richards Creek substation from the Redmond and Talbot Hill substations. The energy they propose to be stored at the BESS in Renton, is not for the benefit of this city, but for the benefit of Bellevue. There will be minimal benefit for Renton. We are being asked to sacrifice our community’s safety and security, as well as accept the destruction of the environment necessary for its installation, and all the related negative repercussions from clear cutting and leveling an already fragile area. The proposal try’s to minimize the impacts to this parcel, but when there is only approximately 17 acres total beyond the slopes, and the proposed total footprint of the installation is 16 acres, it does not take a scientist to visualize the impact this will have. QUOTE: From :‐ http://www.energizeeastsideeis.org/ 16. North Bellevue customers are at risk of outages. PSE evaluated a full range of wire and non‐wire alternatives, but PSE ultimately determined that installing a new 230 kV to 115 kV transformer and upgrading the existing 115 kV lines to 230 kV lines between 230 kV substations in Redmond and Renton is the least impactful and best solution to meet the identified need. The new 230 kV – 115 kV transformer will be placed at the new Richards Creek substation and the 230 kV transmission lines will be within the Willow 1 (existing) transmission line corridor ‐ the site for the Project. To summarize, the new lines will bring 230 kV power from the Sammamish substation in Redmond and the Talbot Hill substation in Renton to the new Richards Creek substation in Bellevue. This will take electrical load off of the existing 230‐115 kV transformers at those substations. ***For the Project to meet the intended objective, a 230 kV power is required from both the north and the south source and must connect to the new transformer at the new Richards Creek substation. End of quote: ________________________________________________ Why not Bellevue for a BESS? The following quote is from the Bellevue Comprehensive Plan 2014. QUOTE; BUILDABLE LANDS The 2014 Buildable Lands Report showed there is a limited supply of vacant land available for development in Bellevue, and much of the vacant land remaining today is constrained by environmentally sensitive areas, steep slopes and other factors.The report showed that the majority of Bellevue’s capacity for growth is through redevelopment of previously developed lands. These underutilized lands are largely located in Downtown, BelRed and other commercial centers. Zoning and infrastructure supports redevelopment of these areas to accommodate the city’s anticipated growth. End of quote. This does not justify trying to force such an installation on a parcel designated as RC (Recourse Conservation), and zoned LDSF, within 50’ of our property lines and gardens, where families gather and children play. A property that is also, ‘constrained by environmentally sensitive areas, steep slopes and other factors.’ ________________________________________________‐ Since 2019, and as recently as March and April of 2022, there are repeated critical incidence of fires, software malfunctions, explosions and the release of toxic gases that show Battery Energy Storage Systems continue to be unsafe, despite alleged safety measures now being in place. LINKS that follow that will take you to continued evidence of the breakdown and malfunction of BESS installations as recently as 2022: https://pv‐magazine‐usa.com/2022/02/16/the‐worlds‐largest‐lithium‐ion‐battery‐is‐down‐again/ https://pv‐magazine‐usa.com/2022/04/26/battery‐fire‐at‐salt‐river‐project‐in‐arizona/ Regulations are needed that require these hazardous Grid Scale, Megapack Li‐ion systems be located away from habitation, in remote locations. We are grateful for the time and interest that you Mr. Mayor, City Council members, City Staff and the current administration have shown by listening to us and hearing us, and responding to our concerns. We are optimistic that this proposal will be rejected by the city as inappropriate for this location due to land use restrictions, critical and sensitive areas, land slide hazard and because of its proximity to our community of modest homes built in 1943, and will also reject any proposed modification of this pre‐ application for the same reasons. We believe in Green Energy, but not if it threatens communities, families, the environment, wildlife and our waterways. Thank you again. Nicola Robinson RN.