Freestone County tables two tax-abatement requests; holds public hearing on 200 MW battery storage project
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Summary
The Freestone County Commissioners Court tabled tax‑abatement items for Keidra Solar and Piedra Silver LLC and opened a public hearing on a planned 200‑megawatt battery energy storage facility that seeks a county tax‑abatement agreement; no final vote on that project appears in the transcript excerpt.
Freestone County commissioners on the morning agenda voted to table two tax‑abatement items and held a public hearing on a separate battery energy storage project seeking a tax abatement.
The court voted to table the tax‑abatement item for Keidra Solar (item 9) and later tabled the request from Piedra Silver LLC (item 10). Both tabling motions were seconded and the court recorded “All in favor, aye. Motion carried.”
The court then opened a public hearing on an application by Avamp (also referenced as Avance/AVAP) Prairie ESS, described by county staff as a battery energy storage system sited on approximately 36.85 acres and described in the record as a 200‑megawatt facility. County staff reported a projected capital investment of approximately $90,000,000 and an annual pilot payment of $152,097.75; the applicant was reported to be making an upfront payment of $10,000. The staff presentation included an estimated completion year of 2028.
Steven Van Dyke, identified in the record as a project representative, told commissioners, “We were here a couple months ago when we did the initial. I got Josh with OCI. We're here to, you know, thank you for putting this on the agenda and let us know if you have any questions.”
Members of the public and court discussed safety and operational details for battery storage. A county staff member explained that the proposed tax‑abatement agreement includes “battery energy storage safety covenants” requiring safety monitoring and coordination with local first responders, and said the facility would have a “self contained fire suppression system.” The staff noted that problems with such systems have been rare in their experience but described one non‑catastrophic incident at a separate site. A member of the public said they would “rather see your batteries than the household” (comment unattributed in the record).
The transcript excerpt records the opening and closing of the Avamp Prairie public hearing and subsequent discussion, but the excerpt does not include a final recorded vote on the tax‑abatement agreement for Avamp Prairie ESS. Earlier in the meeting the court had carried motions to table the Keidra Solar and Piedra Silver items.
Why it matters: county tax abatements reduce property tax bills for qualifying projects and are commonly requested for large energy and industrial investments. The battery project in the record would represent a multi‑million‑dollar private investment and is large enough to affect county emergency‑response planning and property‑tax revenue forecasts.
Next steps noted in the record: the public hearing for Avamp Prairie was opened and closed in this session; staff and project representatives fielded questions on safety covenants and pilot payments. The transcript excerpt does not show a completed formal approval or denial of the Avamp Prairie tax‑abatement agreement.
Votes at a glance: The court recorded motions to table items 9 (Keidra Solar) and 10 (Piedra Silver LLC); both motions were seconded and declared carried. No final vote on item 12 (Avamp/Avance Prairie ESS tax abatement) appears in the provided transcript excerpt.
