The gist
On April 23, League City City Council held a public comment session for residents to share feedback about granting a SUP request to Stella Energy Solutions to build a battery storage facility along the east side of Caroline Street and south of FM 646.
The battery energy storage system, or B.E.S.S., would receive energy from the electrical grid when there is a surplus and then return it to the grid when there is a higher demand, according to a city staff presentation.
The applicant also requested to rezone the proposed site from general commercial to public-semipublic usage to move forward with the development, according to agenda documents.
The area surrounding the site is primarily commercial. However, there are 129 homes, primarily in the Hidden Lakes and Whispering Ranch subdivisions, within 2,000 feet of the proposed site, according to a city staff presentation.
As part of the conditions of the SUP, the city will require the developer to pay for the decommissioning of the facility at the end of its life cycle. As part of that, a professional engineer will need to give an estimate on the cost of decommissioning, which includes bringing the land back to the state it was in before the facility was built.
In their own words
Mayor Nick Long said he felt it was important for the city to fully understand the impact of the proposed facility so the city could create a set of ordinances specific to the site, similar to how the city managed drilling for projects such as the Tidwell gas well in 2020.
“In the state of Texas, you’re allowed to drill, and you are preempted by state law,” Long said. “However, we are allowed to make reasonable safety accommodations in the law.”
Long added that while he did see some benefits to the proposed facility, he wanted to make sure the city was adequately prepared to respond to worst-case scenarios.
“Unlike drilling, I see more of a benefit to the city of League City for having these, but they have to be done right,” Long said. “We also need to spend time educating our first responders. They are not currently up to speed on what to do with these.”
Those opposed
Several League City residents expressed strong opposition to the development, citing safety concerns.
“Our grid is a semi-public-private provider ... for us but not the power generation facilities,” League City resident Chuck DiFalco said.
League City resident Mark Young, who said he lived in one of the 129 homes within 2,000 feet of the proposed site, pointed out the planning and zoning commission voted unanimously against the rezoning at a March 4 meeting.
“All risk and no reward, that’s what this is,” Young said.
League City resident Don Church, who said he also lives near the proposed site, said in his opinion, the area being considered to build the B.E.S.S. was simply too close to residential areas.
“If you want to move it somewhere in a substation that’s out in the middle of a field, ... put it in an area that doesn’t have citizens in the area,” Church said.
What’s next?
City Council member Chad Tressler made a motion to postpone voting on whether to rezone the area in question and grant the permit until after city staff had fleshed out city guidelines with regards to lithium-ion battery storage facilities and conduct a risk assessment for worst-case scenarios.
“I think it lines up with what our speakers have asked for,” Tressler said.
Council voted 7-1 in favor of adopting the following guidelines before reconsidering the applicant’s request:
- Perform a plume analysis, which is related to battery fires, under worst-case scenarios
- Conduct a safety analysis for temperature from a fire and distance from a fire station
- Conduct a risk assessment for various types of incidents, including thermal runaway and flooding
- Perform a study from the emergency services director, fire chief and fire marshal that establishes an incident response plan, and identifies needed equipment and training to prepare for responding to facility incidents, which would be paid for by the developers
- Establish a minimum bond and insurance amount for this facility and any future battery storage facilities
- Conduct a study on the impact of water and flooding that identifies a safe elevation height for the batteries
- The city will look into its legal capabilities to prevent requesting that League City forego its share of property taxes on the facility
- Look into the perimeter requirements from a safety and aesthetics perspective
- Research other municipal ordinances from other cities in Texas regarding B.E.S.S. sites
One more thing
Community Impact previously reported League City City Council will consider a rezoning and SUP request by Cypress Creek Renewables for another battery storage facility at its May 14 meeting.
