Second battery storage plant making waves in Comfort

A second battery energy storage system company has plans for a development in Comfort, and there’s little the county can do to halt it.

That’s the word from Kendall County Precinct 4 Commissioner Chad Carpenter on a proposed 250 megawatt battery storage facility planned by East Point Energy, out of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Unlike the county’s previous go-round with the denial of a request to create a reinvestment zone for Key Capture Energy in January, East Point is not seeking any county interaction.

Instead, it’s the county that needs to negotiate and work with the battery storage company, Carpenter said. “We can’t stop them. There’s no legal way to stop them,” Carpenter said, “but we have to do what we can to make sure it’s as safe as possible for our county residents.”

Carpenter said the federal government is granting 30 percent tax credits to power companies — “giving subsidies to these plants because our power grid is so weak.”

East Point Energy plans to acquire 10 acres on land next to the LCRA substation in Comfort.

While East Point and Key Capture are making plans for energy grid development, Carpenter points out that nothing is set in stone.

“None of these (companies) have filed any permits, or filed plats with the county,” Carpenter said. “They are still years away from construction.”

The commissioner said the county now needs to focus on working with the energy firms to make them aware of the safety needs of residents in the area.

“We have to do what we can to ensure the safety of our residents. Make them aware of our fire department’s size and needs, for instance,” Carpenter said.

East Point Energy, he said, “is actively trying to meet with us ... in early June, probably our next meeting.’

“These are billion-dollar companies trying to make money locally,” he said. “We can’t stop it ... but we can make sure our development codes and fire codes are being enforced.”

House Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Lakeway) penned a letter to East Point officials declaring her opposition to the plant, just as she did when Key Capture Energy made its intentions known earlier this year.

“There is a similar facility proposed in this same area, and just as I have expressed my opposition to that facility, I write you today in strong opposition to East Point Energy’s battery storage facility at the currently proposed location,” Troxclair wrote.

In the letter, dated, May 15, Troxclair listed her primary concerns:

• The small, volunteer fire department is simply not equipped to handle the types of emergencies that could arise.

• The location, on a deadend road, limits the egress of all the residents located past the planned location, posing safety concerns.

• The limited water resources in this area also raise safety concerns, in case of a fire.

“While I understand that this project may move forward if it meets the requirements mandated, I hope you will reconsider proceeding. It is apparent to us here that the proposed location for this facility is inappropriate,” she wrote.