What's under construction off Michigan Avenue?

COLDWATER TWP. — On Monday, the public on social media began asking, "What's going on?" at Michigan Avenue just north of State Road.

Here's what we know

• Jupiter Energy began construction on a 100-megawatt battery storage facility Monday.
• The project consists of four rows of 40 shipping container-sized batteries.
• The units are self-contained and provide no environmental danger, according to approved township permit applications.
• Jupiter will use only about seven acres of the 70-acre site the company purchased.

Timeline

• Contractors expect to complete the project by mid-fall.
• The project can only go online once International Transmission Company completes its connection to the grid just north of State Road.
• Jupiter will store power under contract for Consumers Energy and then put the power back on the grid when the company needs energy.

By the numbers

• The company estimated construction and equipment value at $110 million.
• The State Equalized Value is $55 million, which generates $2.4 million in first-year taxes and depreciates over the estimated 30-year life of the project.
• Because of the battery project's unusual nature, Jupiter and Coldwater Township negotiated an agreement to pay the township an additional $600 per megawatt a year or $60,000 a year.
• Jupiter signed a decommissioning agreement and posted a bond with Coldwater Township to cover the cost of removal when the project ends.

What we know about the company

• Jupiter Energy is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has offices in Chicago and Dallas.
• Jupiter Energy is backed by venture capital firm BlackRock's Diversified Infrastructure.
• Jupiter Power has 975 MWh of fully operational projects, mostly in Texas and the West Coast.
• The Branch County project is Jupiter's first in Michigan. Energy storage is most valuable where there are high levels of renewable penetration, like in Branch County, and anticipated capacity deficits expected in Michigan.
• Jupiter expects to be one of the largest battery storage companies, with current development totaling 11,000 MW of projects.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: What's under construction off Michigan Avenue?