Safety

Fire Code for Stationary Energy Storage System Facilities - New York State Case Study History and Background Early summer 2023

After 3 fires at BESS facilities in Suffolk, Orange and Jefferson County, energy storage projects were under scrutiny from local communities.

July 28, 2023

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the creation of a New York State Inter Agency Fire Safety Working Group FSWG) to ensure the safety and security of energy storage systems, including making fire code recommendations.

In July 2025, the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council formally adopted the 2025 Fire Code of New York State 2025 FCNY. The 2025 Includes significant updates to SECTION 1207 Electrical Energy Storage Systems ESS. Key updates include:

July 1, 2024

FSWG releases the Final Fire Code Recommendations Report taking into account public comments and feedback from subject matter experts and interested stakeholders

July 25, 2025

New York Code Council votes to approve the 2025 NYS Fire Code officially adopted updated energy storage safety codes based on the FSWGʼs recommendations

January 1, 2026

2025 NYS Fire Code takes effect

Source: NYSERDA, NYBEST, NYBEST, FCNY 2025, Empire Report

Independent desktop reviews: pre-construction/energization to verify design and safety compliance. Central-station fire monitoring with immediate FD notification, 24/7 coverage, and video monitoring with a 72-hour lookback. Hazard support personnel: dispatch within 15 minutes, on-site within 4 hours to assist responders. Emergency Response Plan ERP) required: plus site-specific training for local fire departments. More requirements around Decommission Plans: including requirements for post-incident contingency Emphasis on Ongoing Testing: requires that all safety systems (battery monitoring, ventilation, gas detection, etc.) be tested per OEM guidelines, and records of tests be kept Utility Exemption Narrowed: broad exemption for utility-owned BESS largely removed with only a few exceptions

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.