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Planners begin drafting battery storage ordinance after Wabash Valley presentation; no vote taken
Summary
Following a morning presentation by Wabash Valley Power, the Marshall County Planning Commission discussed drafting an ordinance for battery energy storage systems, focusing on differing scales of projects, public safety training, and transmission needs; the commission gave direction to continue work, but took no formal vote.
The Marshall County Planning Commission on May 22 spent substantial time discussing battery energy storage systems after a morning briefing from Wabash Valley Power and local utilities. Planning staff said the presentation will inform a draft county ordinance; no formal ordinance or regulatory change was voted on at the meeting.
"We've been talking about some ordinances on battery energy storage systems," Planning staff member Nicholas said, summarizing the morning session. He told the commission the presentation from Wabash Valley and local rural electric cooperatives highlighted differences in scale and public impacts between smaller cooperative projects and large commercial deployments.
Commission members discussed creating separate categories for battery systems — for example, distinguishing small, utility-adjacent systems from large, multi-acre commercial storage projects — and emphasized the need for clear standards. Commissioners and staff repeatedly raised fire response and training as a priority. "Even on the smaller scale systems our fire departments need the correct training," one commissioner said during the discussion.
Presenters and staff described technical containment and siting practices used by cooperative-scale projects. Nicholas said the units are contained at tray, rack and container levels and are commonly installed on concrete pads; he summarized that those measures reduce the chance of a release reaching adjacent properties. County members also discussed community concerns about visual impacts and the difference between a compact, county-scale installation and a 10-acre commercial site.
Other topics raised included transmission capacity and the potential influence of large power users such as data centers on local demand; commissioners noted that some large users bring their own power sources. Commissioners asked for follow-up materials — including an example Fort Wayne installation mentioned by the presenters — and directed staff to continue drafting ordinance language that accounts for system scale, public safety measures and required coordination with utilities and emergency responders.
The commission did not take a formal vote on any ordinance language at the May 22 meeting. Staff and commissioners said they would continue work and return draft regulations for review at a future meeting.
