Planning Commission tables request for large outdoor battery storage and testing facility near Truckee Canal

The Churchill County Planning Commission on March 20 tabled consideration of a special-use-permit application from NNV Investments LLC — a subsidiary of Redwood Materials — that would allow an outdoor battery storage yard and an explosion/combustion testing area on a 438.42-acre industrial parcel north of Bango (Bangor) Road.

Dean Patterson, Public Works and Planning, told the commission the application seeks to site a roughly 35-acre outdoor staging and storage area for end-of-life lithium-ion battery packs plus a separate R&D/testing pad of roughly 2.5 acres. Patterson said the storage area would be developed in phases and arranged on a grid with spacing and height limits intended to limit fire propagation; the applicant proposed a 300-gallon fire-suppression vehicle, on-site tanks and an emergency response plan that must satisfy the fire marshal.

The staff report recommended approval with conditions but flagged multiple concerns — stormwater runoff and containment, permanent on-site services before operations begin, dark-sky compliant lighting, full screening for outdoor storage, and road-repair participation for Bango Road because of anticipated heavy truck traffic. Patterson said drainage was a particular concern because a local ravine drains a broad area and ultimately discharges onto other properties.

Don Tetrault, representing NNV Investments, said the company planned operational controls, yearly reviews, employee monitoring and immediate remediation in the event of any thermal event. “We remediate within 24 hours typically,” Tetrault said. He said many of Redwood’s existing sites use spacing and containment strategies to reduce the likelihood of multi-unit thermal propagation and that regulatory limits typically require batteries to be on site less than one year.

Multiple residents urged the commission to reject or delay the application, raising safety and environmental concerns. “Batteries with lithium are very, very explosive, and they’re highly flammable,” said Yvonne Morai of Cadet Road, who worried about air emissions and the Truckee Canal. Another resident, Jake McCreery, said a battery fire could affect the river and downstream users. Several residents asked whether contaminants from firefighting runoff could migrate to the Truckee Canal and Lahontan Reservoir.

Commissioners and staff discussed technical mitigation measures and regulatory oversight at length. Randy Hynes, Public Works and Building, said the county had increased its permitting detail and conditions since earlier industrial projects on Bango Road and that the fire marshal and state regulators would be engaged in any final permit. Patterson and Hynes said the county expects a pollution-prevention plan, emergency response plan reviewed by the fire marshal, and stormwater containment details before batteries could be accepted on site.

After public comment and a request from commissioners for more technical detail — including site diagrams showing exact container/stacking methods, a containment and remediation plan for firefighting runoff, air-monitoring data for off-gassing and examples of on-site fire-containment systems — Commission member Jeff Goings moved to table the application for 30 days. The motion passed on a voice vote.

The commission asked the applicant to provide additional documentation and public outreach in the interim: detailed site layouts of the storage grid and testing pads; the pollution-prevention plan and pollutant containment proposals tied to drainage paths; the emergency response plan approved by the Churchill County fire marshal; documented air-monitoring results from the applicant’s existing facilities; and a proposed schedule for phasing and road-impact mitigation on Bango Road. The commission also encouraged applicants to arrange a nonquorum site visit or facility tour of Redwood’s existing operations so commissioners and members of the public could better visualize proposed controls.

The matter will return to the Planning Commission at its April meeting for further consideration.