For the last several months, Con Edison has charged battery developers tens of millions of dollars to connect storage systems to the grid. We at the Utility Customers Association say that this effectively constitutes a moratorium on new batteries in New York City.
We have joined seven New York City elected officials, over a dozen community organizations, and business associations to call on Con Edison to stop standing in the way of new batteries.
March 11, 2026
Mr. Tim Cawley
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Con Edison
4 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
Dear Mr. Cawley:
We are writing to urge Con Edison to stop hindering development of grid-connected batteries across New York City, also known as battery energy storage systems (BESS). Late last summer Con Edison changed its method of studying BESS interconnection applications such that the vast majority of new projects will become prohibitively expensive to connect to the grid. As elected officials, representatives of community organizations, and members of the public, we are calling on Con Edison to roll back these unilateral and unwarranted changes.
Grid-connected batteries bring a variety of financial and climate benefits to everyday New Yorkers, including:
- Affordability - With one in four New Yorkers considered “energy-burdened,” BESS can reduce electricity prices in multiple ways. NYSERDA estimates that achieving its statewide BESS target will result in systemwide grid savings of $2 billion by increasing renewable resources and lowering capacity (electrical supply) costs. BESS also directly reduce the need for traditional grid infrastructure at a much lower cost to ratepayers. Finally, many BESS projects can participate in a groundbreaking program to pass along direct bill savings for low-income households.
- Resiliency and Reliability - Grid-connected batteries provide reliable, critical relief to the grid during the times of highest demand - increasingly important as we face 8x the number of 95+ degree days forecasted by Con Edison by 2050. This means the ability to discharge power instantly into the grid during peak summer hours, helping ensure that the lights and A/C stay on during heat waves, and that life-sustaining medicine and food are safely refrigerated.
- Climate and Environmental Justice - Grid-connected batteries are widely seen as a key strategy in replacing fossil-fuel-based, highly-polluting “peaker” plants. These facilities, disproportionately sited in low-income communities of color, exacerbate preexisting health disparities and contribute to a long legacy of environmental injustice in our city. Further, BESS are a crucial bridge between intermittent generation and electricity delivery, by maximizing the use of wind and solar sources.
The Public Service Commission recently ordered Con Edison to submit a “NYC Reliability Contingency Plan” using non-emitting and cost-effective resources, such as BESS, to address system capacity shortfalls. This order makes Con Edison’s unilateral changes - neither approved by the PSC nor even disclosed publicly until a “notice” filing - even less defensible.
Instead, we urge Con Edison to take the following steps to ensure that development of grid-connected batteries can continue as a benefit for New Yorkers:
(1) Immediately revert to the interconnection study methodology in place prior to August 2025, and rollback interconnection studies issued under its new methodology.
(2) To the extent that new interconnections create grid challenges under the current operating framework, work expeditiously with regulators and grid management experts around reforms, in connection with the Dec. 18 PSC order, to be implemented before the Summer 2026 operating season.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
City Councilmember Alexa Avilés
City Councilmember Sandy Nurse
City Councilmember Lincoln Restler
State Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest
State Assemblymember Claire Valdez
State Senator Kevin Parker
State Senator Julia Salazar
Clean Energy Group
New York Battery Energy Storage Technology Consortium
New York Communities for Change
New York Environmental Justice Alliance
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
New York Solar Energy Industry Association
New Yorkers for Clean Power
PEAK Coalition
The Point
Sane Energy Project
Solar One
Treeage
Uprose
Urban Homesteading Assistance Board
The Utility Customers Association
Vote Solar
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
