Moffat County approves Morrell battery storage zone change and conditional-use permit

The Moffat County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a zoning amendment, a zone change and a conditional‑use permit to allow the Morrell Energy Storage Project to proceed on a 32‑acre parcel leased from the Colorado State Land Board near the Craig Substation. The approvals came after a public hearing and a planning‑board recommendation with conditions.

Planning and Zoning Coordinator Candace Miller presented the county’s review and said the planning board voted 3–1 to recommend approval of the zone change R2502 and the conditional‑use permit C2508, subject to a list of conditions covering legal agreements, safety and emergency services, environmental and stormwater controls, haul‑route and road improvements, decommissioning and visual screening. “We will support the State Land Board in how they would like to see that land reclaimed,” Miller said when summarizing decommissioning and reclamation expectations.

Christie Eichorn of Plus Power, the project developer, described the proposal as a 200‑megawatt battery energy storage system designed to dispatch for up to four hours to support grid reliability and resiliency. Eichorn said the project would be sited adjacent to Craig Station/Craig Substation to minimize transmission build‑out and that the developer narrowed an initial study area from roughly 80 acres to a 32‑acre footprint to reduce impacts. Eichorn said the project would not require water for the batteries’ operation and that batteries and equipment are UL certified; she also noted the developer’s outreach to local emergency management and rural fire agencies for training and response planning.

A nearby resident who identified himself as Mr. Timmer raised concerns about stormwater runoff, impacts to springs and ponds, dust and haul‑route alignment, visibility from Highway 13, and emergency response. Eichorn and county staff said the project must retain all stormwater on site, submit a stormwater protection plan, and finalize haul routes and road‑use permits before construction. Miller said the county will require the applicant to provide the production lease with the State Land Board, finalized haul‑route and access plans, copies of Road and Bridge permits where county roads are used, and documentation of emergency services coordination. The county also requires a recorded survey once the final project footprint is confirmed and a 180‑day notice to the county if the State Land Board’s production lease terminates prior to construction so the zone change can revert to agricultural zoning.

Commissioners made and seconded motions to approve the zoning amendment (Resolution 2025‑73), zone change R2502, and conditional‑use permit C2508. The motions were approved by voice vote during the meeting; no formal roll‑call tally of individual commissioners’ votes was recorded in the hearing transcript.

The developer’s timeline presented to the county anticipates seeking a production lease with the State Land Board in October and does not expect construction to begin before 2028, with operational expectations stated as roughly 2029–2030. The approvals granted by the county allow the applicant to move to lease and offtake contract negotiations but do not authorize construction; the county noted additional state and federal permits and Tri‑State contractual approvals are prerequisites to building.

The county attached a lengthy list of conditions to the approvals, including: submittal of off‑take agreements, a finalized haul route with Road and Bridge permits for any county roads used, stormwater and erosion control plans, weed and invasive species management, an emergency response and training plan coordinated with local fire and emergency management, and decommissioning/reclamation requirements consistent with the State Land Board production lease.

The planning office will keep the project file active by requiring regular updates from the applicant and copies of the production lease and other external permits as they are executed. The county emphasized that if the production lease ends before construction begins, the zone change will revert to agricultural zoning after notification and the recording process specified in the county’s conditions.