The gist
At a March 4 League City Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, many community residents voiced opposition to the development of a battery storage facility near their homes.
League City City Council was expected to vote on April 9 on whether Cypress Creek Renewables could build Berkman Storage—or BESS—a 200-megawatt lithium battery storage facility, near Washington Street and SH 3, but that date has been postponed to May 14 following community opposition.
The League City Planning & Zoning Commission recommended against the request at its March 4 meeting.
During a League City Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on March 4, the company requested League City staff rezone a 4-acre plot of land in the central part of the city as a limited industrial zone, according to city documents.
The site would be used to balance the load of The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’s—or ERCOT’s—electric grid, said Parker Sloan, director of community and economic development at Cypress Creek Renewables, at the city’s March 4 meeting.
The proposed site is located near the Oaks of Clear Creek neighborhood and Parr Elementary School.
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The benefits
Cypress Creek Renewables officials estimated the tax revenue generated by building the battery storage facility would surpass $18 million for local jurisdictions, Sloan said.
Those opposed
Despite the tax benefits, many residents who attended the League City Planning & Zoning Commission meeting felt the development would be a net loss for League City.
Christine Thomas, an Oaks of Clear Creek resident, said she had 48 solar panels on her house and generally supported renewable energy but opposed the development because it would be too close to the school.
“I understand the need for these kinds of facilities, but our neighborhood is so wonderful since the school has been built in our neighborhood,” Thomas said.
Other residents said they felt the facility could pose a safety threat that first responders don't have the resources to stop at this time.
“We’ve done a lot of research on BESS, and one thing to keep in mind is the potential for internal shorts and thermal runaway, and the inability of our emergency personnel, who League City Fire Department said last time we met, has not been trained to manage these emergencies,” League City resident Laura Teatsworth said.
At a Feb. 19 meeting where the planning and zoning commission considered a rezoning request from another applicant to build a battery storage facility, League City fire officials confirmed the fire department's response protocols for this facility are untested because the proposed technology is new.
League City resident Dave Kauffman, who said he was a retired environmental engineer, said he would hope the city would prioritize deciding whether to approve the rezoning based on a "risk analysis," rather than privilege any tax revenue the development could generate.
“I’m not against the concept of the battery storage, but I am against the location,” Kauffman said.
Looking ahead
League City City Council will consider a rezoning and special use permit request for the site at its May 14 meeting.
