Why do lithium batteries catch fire? Fort Bend County approves building storage plant in Thompsons, south of the Brazos River [Video]

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Controversial battery storage plants are popping up everywhere, and Fort Bend County commissioners just approved building a new one in Needville.

Another plant is being considered in League City, and two are coming to Thompsons this year.

Thompsons is a tiny town in Fort Bend County, south of the Brazos River.

Its volunteer fire department is even tinier than you probably imagine.

“We have several kids that were volunteer fire members, and they are going to college or have moved away,” Alderman Edward Taylor explained. “We have a small group. I think it’s about ten.”

It will be the closest fire department to the new battery facilities, near the Lockwood Bypass in a mostly industrial part of town.

The new plants store wind and solar energy inside lithium batteries, then release it as electricity into power grids when needed.

They’re far more efficient than traditional batteries and great for powering …