Commissioners table tax abatement request for battery storage

Commissioners table tax abatement request for battery storage Subhead Residents raise public health, safety concerns on propsoed BESS project Nathan Diebenow Wed, 04/24/2024 - 05:43 Image

• Bosque County Emergency Management Coordinator Kirk Turner (right) gave input during a public hearing on the BESS project at the Bosque County Commissioenrs Court’s regular meeting on Monday, April 22, 2024. Nathan Diebenow | Meridian Tribune

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The Bosque County Commissioners Court tabled a request for a tax abatement and reinvestment zone for a battery storage system during its regular meeting on Monday, April 22, at the Bosque County Courthouse in Meridian.

At a public hearing, representatives from Navitas Energy answered questions about their proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) following concerns about the project by residents.

In addition, representatives from the City of Meridian and the Bosque County Office of Emergency Management provided input to the court about their experience with the corporation as well as the risks associated with the proposed project.

Bosque County residents Sarah and Jim Ballard asked the court to not approve the abatement and zone, voicing reservations about the lithium-ion battery technology being not safe from fire which would likely release toxic substances into the air.

The Ballards questioned the safety standards of the battery storage systems from the sensors that shut off the cells automatically to cooling systems.

“To adopt this reinvestment zone number 1, I believe could open the door for more installations around the county without the need for additional voice or input from our citizens,” Sarah Ballard said.

The location of the proposed $35 million project is about two miles north outside the Meridian City Limits downwind from residences as well as Meridian Independent School District.

Meridian City Secretary Tiffany Gentry recommended that the court table action pending further information.

Gentry told the court that earlier this year, the City of Meridian’s Planning and Zoning Commission had voted against granting a tax abatement to the BESS project proposed inside the city limits due to a lack of information from the corporation.

“They weren’t exactly able to answer everything with an accuracy that gave comfort, such as temperature control,” Gentry said.

Navitas Energy CEO G.P. Manalac fielded questions about the proposed project, promising that he and his team would forward more detailed plans to the court later that same week.

During the public hearing on Monday, Manalac spoke about the project without notes, nor did he present the court with a packet with renderings of the site.

Manalac said his corporation planned to lease three acres of property for a minimum of 10 years with options up to 30 years. The energy from the grid stored at the site would feed to and from a Brazos Electric Cooperative’s substation, he said.

The proposed project would include 10 steel boxes the size of shipping containers filled with 100s of lithium-ion cells spaced apart inside sitting on three-inches of concrete, he said.

Each container would be equipped with sensors that would first shut down the cells in case of over-heating or fire. As another safety feature, special chemicals would be discharged to cool the cells and extinguish the fire inside, Manalac said.

The site would be monitored by computer remotely but would also require some local workers to maintain the grounds, he added.

Manalac said that his corporation had no battery energy storage system in operation yet for the commissioners to review. He said he was developing 24 other sites across Texas at present.

“There are bigger gases in the lithium ion cells themselves, no different than in our cell phones,” Manalac said. “That’s the risk we all have to consider, but again, the chances of that thermal runaway given the technology advancements today is very minimal.”

Manalac also addressed concerns about the recycling of lithium ion batteries in the future.

Speaking via the county judge’s cellphone during the public hearing, Jeff Snowden of Capex Consulting suggested that a battery storage manufacturer could perform a demonstration of lithium-ion battery on fire for the commissioners to witness.

Such had been done in other counties where these BESS projects were seeking abatements from local governments, he said.

Snowden works as a consultant on renewable energy and technology issues on behalf of Bosque County.

Bosque County Emergency Management Coordinator Kirk Turner said that while he was concerned about possible fire at the project, he was more focused on toxic fumes generated from the fire drifting into the atmosphere near people on farms, residences, and the schools.

Turner said that the best practice for fighting a fire from a lithium-ion battery is to contain the fire and let it burn out.

Turner cautioned that future residential development could be impacted by a BESS system.

Bosque County Judge Cindy Vanlandingham noted that the county government cannot prevent individuals or corporations from establishing and operating a business on their property.

The county judge added that the court could pass a reinvestment zone without also passing a tax abatement.

The court tabled the item for two weeks pending more detailed plans from the corporation; several of the commissioners also expressed wishes to visit the site.