Noise, the possibility of a fire, and the possibility of the developers getting a tax break were among numerous concerns skeptical Medford residents raised when they turned out to hear from representatives of the company that wants to build a battery energy storage facility in Medford.

Residents packed a meeting room at the Medford Fire Department on July 24 for the nearly two-hour-long meeting organized by the Medford Taxpayers and Civic Association.

AES Corp., based in Arlington, Va., has proposed a 100-megawatt facility on a 10.7-acre site near Horseblock Road and south of the Long Island Expressway south service road. The facility, if approved, would go online in 2028 and connect with a Long Island Power Authority substation south of Long Island Avenue. AES would develop, own, and manage the facility, company representatives said.

The bottom line for many of those attending was summed up by Medford Taxpayers and Civic Association president Brett Houdek, who said following the meeting, “You can build these things anywhere. Why Medford?”

The site is currently zoned residential. Changing it to light industrial, as the company seeks, would be an “inappropriate use,” Houdek said.

Garrett Gray, an attorney who represents AES and who spoke at the meeting, said that the facility would have multiple levels of protection, including the use of a liquid cooling system, so that the chance of a fire would be “minimal.” The company would work with the Town of Brookhaven to develop an emergency response plan.

But many of those in attendance at the meeting weren’t convinced.

Houdek pointed to a fire at a 5-megawatt battery energy storage facility in East Hampton in 2023 and said that if a similar event happened at the larger facility in Medford, it could be devastating because of the site’s proximity to the Long Island Expressway and busy Horseblock Road.

He pointed to a decision by the Brookhaven Town Board to not even consider a zoning change for a battery energy storage facility proposed for Mt. Sinai. 

AES wants the zoning at the site to be changed to light industrial from residential. A public hearing hasn’t yet been set, Gray said.

AES also plans to seek a break on real estate taxes from the Town of Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency in the form of a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement, Gray said.

Councilman Mike Loguercio, who represents Medford, said that when AES officials approached him about the project, he told them they needed to bring it to the civic association first.

“My reasoning for always doing that when any project comes into my district is because my job is to represent the people, so I need to hear how the people feel about any project going into their community,” Loguercio said.