A developer for a collocated solar-plus-storage project told the Pratt County Commission on the record that the company intends to site a battery energy storage system (BESS) inside the previously studied Neniska Flats solar boundary and is targeting a January 2026 start of construction and a commercial operation date in December 2026.

The developer said the battery boundary covers about 14 acres but that the active equipment would occupy roughly 6 acres inside that area. The proposal described up to 200 megawatts of storage with a four-hour duration, and the project team said the storage size is limited by the solar project’s 200-megawatt output.

The developer said the application would include technical and safety materials and asked the county to consider permitting the project via a development agreement tied to a special-use application or by adopting zoning language for BESS. The company proposed a development agreement that would incorporate road-use and maintenance commitments, a decommissioning agreement, and a project-specific fire-safety and health-and-safety plan.

Commissioners and the developer discussed national codes the project would follow. The developer listed UL 9540, NFPA 855 and NFPA 70 as the primary standards that would govern system design, setbacks and emergency response. Alan Anderson, an attorney who said he was with the Paul Stanley Law Firm, told the commission the development agreement could reference those codes and that the international code now cites the U.S. national fire-safety code directly.

Commissioners raised questions about cleanup and extreme-weather scenarios. The developer said cleanup obligations and post-incident remediation would be addressed in the development agreement and that NextEra employees on site would be the first line of response in an emergency, followed by local fire authorities operating at a perimeter. The developer offered to host further briefings with fire-safety experts and first responders to explain emergency response, cleanup responsibilities and protective design measures.

County staff and the developer discussed timing: if the county chooses to adopt new BESS regulations, that process could add months to review and permitting. The developer requested that Pratt County review a draft development agreement and provide feedback; the company said it would accept conditions the county asked to include. The developer also said environmental, wildlife and cultural studies already performed for the larger solar area would be tailored to the battery footprint.

Next steps described at the meeting included the developer sending the draft development agreement and safety materials to county staff and outside counsel for review, and scheduling education sessions for first responders. The commission did not take action at the meeting.