The Islip Town Board voted Tuesday to keep its moratorium on battery energy storage facilities in place, blocking the proposed project in Hauppauge from moving forward under the current rules.

The Islip Town Board had held a public hearing Tuesday to potentially ban Tier 3 battery energy storage systems.

The project, as currently proposed for 220 Rabro Drive, has been banned.

Long Island Power Authority and Key Capture Energy were behind the project.

The two organizations previously said they hoped to build the facility to promote clean energy and keep utility bills from rising.

The proposal received strong pushback from the community, which led the town to previously issue two yearlong moratoriums to gather more information before moving forward.

First responders, community members and elected officials criticized the project and raised concerns about fire safety, environmental impact and the proximity to Bretton Woods Elementary School, homes and businesses.

Both LIPA and Key Capture Energy have previously tried to reassure the community that the project is safe.

The hearing came during the same month a one-year moratorium was set to expire.

A spokesperson for LIPA referred News 12 to a letter the company's CEO Carrie Meek Gallagher sent to Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter last month.

She wrote in part: "Removing an entire class of resources before that analysis occurs can have the opposite effect. Restricting where viable energy infrastructure can be developed reduces competition, limits available sites and can ultimately increase the cost of serving Long Island customers. At a time when families and businesses are appropriately focused on the affordability of electric service, we should be working together to identify safe and cost-effective solutions rather than unnecessarily eliminating them."

Key Capture Energy said in a statement:

"At a time when electricity prices across Long Island are spiking and the threat of electrical blackouts is increasing, the Board’s decision towards banning utility scale battery energy storage will have real and meaningful negative impacts for residents and businesses not only locally, but across Long Island and require more expensive alternatives. Battery energy storage is safe, and the Town’s actions ignore New York’s updated fire code, which was written with direct input from career fire and safety officials, including FDNY, and is among the strongest in the country. KCE stands ready to work with the Town and others to address concerns and work to ensure that Islip residents have a stable and reliable electric grid in the future."