Burlington City Council approves battery storage system for McNeil Generating Station

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) — The Burlington City Council on Monday approved plans to purchase a battery storage system for the McNeil generating station.

According to Burlington Electric, the system will be connected to the power grid and placed on standby to feed power when needed.

The department said the five-megawatt battery will help meet peak power consumption needs and could lower costs for customers.

Officials said the facility will be owned by a Boston-based company but operated by crews at the McNeil station.

Burlington Electric Department General Manager Darren Springer said the potential savings are significant.

“What would the value be this year if you had five megawatts, just against the ISO peak, not the other peaks that happen monthly? And it was roughly $257,000 of potential savings, just from a one-year reduction this year. I believe the economics were even better next year, more around four hundred and forty thousand because the capacity values change. So, that gives you a sense of scale,” Springer said.

The department said if the project is successful, it hopes to add more battery storage capacity in the future.