Jupiter Power lithium battery project in Westfield canceled over eco concerns

The developer of the proposed lithium battery energy storage facility has decided to pull back on the project. The city's mayor made the announcement this afternoon. 22 News reporter Kayie Thomas joins us live in studio to share what residents are saying about the proposed project, which is no longer happening. Nick, many Westfield residents are relieved that their voices were heard. They say their health and water source will now be protected. Signs reading no lithium battery storage over our aquafer have been visible in front yards throughout the city of Westfield for months. Residents have reached out to local and state leaders fighting for the storage facility to not be built over their sole source of water. And now many are at ease after the project was called off. The Texas based company Jupiter Power said it will no longer be building the facility. I think it's good news um just for how it was going to be set up, where it was going to be set up. Mayor Michael McCabe joined state and local leaders on the steps of city hall on Friday to make the announcement. These leaders heard residents concerns and actively worked with Jupiter Power hoping they would reconsider the proposal. I am happy to report that the meetings were congenial and achieved the transparency necessary for Jupiter to come to this conclusion. This comes as there was also fear of this facility causing long burning lithium fires at the site. All those batteries going up gets in the air. area just doesn't seem like a good idea. The mayor expressed gratitude for the developer decision to withdraw and listen to the community's concerns and reassess their plans. The protection of our city's natural resources should be paramount in all of our decision-making processes. And to that end, we are very pleased. In a statement to 22 News, Jupiter Power explained their reasoning for this decision. They said in part, quote, "Juper Power has a broad portfolio of projects in active development and is consistently evaluating which projects to continue to invest in and advance." They add that while they believe the facility would have brought economic and grid resiliency benefits to the region, they are looking to focus their development efforts elsewhere. It's still unclear as to what will happen next for the property that would have been home to the battery storage facility. working for you. Kelly Thomas, 22 News.