Despite the objections of residents, a large battery storage facility proposal in James City County is heading to the Board of Supervisors in November with the Planning Commission’s blessing.
The commission on Wednesday voted 5-2 to recommend approving Pelican Energy Storage’s 650-megawatt project at the former BASF acrylic fiber plant site near the Grove neighborhood. Grove is a working-class community that became home to many Black residents displaced by the creation of military installations in James City and York.
Pelican is a subsidiary of Nebraska-based Tenaska, a 40-year-old firm that bills itself as the “largest energy company no one has ever heard of.” The James City County project is part of efforts to bolster the multistate power grid and will store power and push it onto the system during high demand.
Several in Grove, however, feel burdened by decades of industrial development that has cost the community its access to the James River.
“I feel like the public opinion in the Grove community has been disregarded in lieu of revenue,” Kathy Reynolds said.
Resident Adrienne Carter on Wednesday urged commissioners not to be swayed by the $90 million in tax revenue the project is estimated to bring during the next 30 years, and said they owe it to past and future residents to preserve the site for future river access.
Fire is also a concern. Nationally, fires at battery storage facilities have become increasingly rare but have caused evacuations because of potential toxicity. One of the largest, for example, near Monterey, California, last year led to more than 1,500 people having to leave their homes. One in La Verne, California, impacted about 500 residents last month.
Tenaska representatives, however, told commissioners that new technology can contain hazardous materials in emergencies and prevent cascading failures that spread through storage facilities. The company has not completed an emergency response plan; fire officials told commissioners it will be refined as site details are finalized.
County planners also said housing and recreational development isn't likely for the site. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has stated that the area was satisfactorily remediated but remains under a long-term stewardship and monitoring plan. It is also near Fort Eustis training grounds, and the installation opposed plans for recreational development in 2015.
Commissioner Jack Haldeman acknowledged Grove has “been on the short end of the stick in James City County,” but taken as a whole, he said he “didn’t know how I cannot vote yes on this.”
“I view this application as a marvelous opportunity, not just for James City County but for the region,” Haldeman said.
Commissioner Crystal Haskins spoke for the opponents, saying she heard a lot about job potential, energy benefits and economic opportunity.
“I don’t think I heard how it is enhancing the special character of Grove,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of opinions about what is good for Grove, but when I hear multiple voices from within Grove, that’s what makes me give this great hesitation.”
