The overview
Vesper Energy, a Texas-based energy supplier, applied in August for a special use permit to build Ochoa Energy Storage on a roughly 24-acre property at 27051 Highway Blvd., Katy, according to agenda documents.
A battery energy storage station, or BESS, is a facility of batteries that collects and stores excess energy and sells it back to the electric grid—run statewide by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas—when more power is needed, said Alex Rohr, Vesper Energy's community affairs manager.
“Battery energy storage systems will help add grid resiliency and security, help prevent blackouts, and also have proven to lower electric costs and price spikes,” Rohr said at the Sept. 23 meeting.
The power would have been stored in containers on five acres of the property, providing up to 500 megawatts of lithium-ion powered energy, said Sands Green, lead project developer with Vesper Energy, at the Sept. 23 meeting.
Those opposed
Residents at the Oct. 14 meeting said they were worried about the project’s proximity to schools and homes, environmental concerns with the land being in Snake Creek’s floodplain, and potential safety risks, such as if the batteries were to combust.
Katy resident Lindsay Gilley said she supports the “energy revolution” and owns an electric vehicle, but she doesn’t agree with the proposed placement of the storage facility.
“It is too close to Katy High School and the outdoor learning center,” she said. “This needs to be built elsewhere—not directly adjacent to a public school where several thousand people attend.”
Those in favor
Meanwhile, several Katy residents and officials spoke in favor of the project at the Sept. 23 meeting, saying the company would give back to Katy ISD schools and bring job growth.
Angie Thomason, president and CEO of the Katy Area Economic Development Council, said her staff believed it would bring benefits to the area.
“The grid reliability is important in this area,” Thomason said. “With all the economic growth in the Katy area, I think it’s very beneficial. The area they’re wanting to go is zoned industrial. The tax revenue for the ISD as well as the city, I think, is beneficial.”
Zooming in
While Katy City Council unanimously denied the permit application, council member Gina Hicks said she was "disheartened" by the community's reaction but would vote against the facility to mirror residents’ opinions.
She said this likely won’t be the last application the city receives as the elected officials and companies look to bolster the state’s energy grid.
What's next
Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris said city staff and administration will assess the city's industrial codes and bring it back to City Council.
"Though I strongly do support efforts to strengthen our electric and power grids, this facility is just not a good area or maybe, potentially, not in a good area of this region," he said.
