Saline County adopts battery energy storage system regulations after months of review

The Saline County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on Aug. 5 to adopt Resolution 25‑24‑23, establishing county rules for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and related facilities after a multi‑month review by the county Planning and Zoning Commission and a lengthy public comment period.

The regulations set process and operational standards for future conditional use permits but do not approve any specific project or location. Supporters said the rules create a consistent permitting framework; opponents said the draft does not provide adequate safety protections, liability limits or community notice and urged the commission to require larger setbacks and higher insurance minimums.

Tim Hamilton, planning and zoning administrator, told the commission the draft resolution reflects changes requested by the county and reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 24 and July 22. He said the planning commission considered the county’s suggested changes — including a half‑mile setback from residential uses, a 10‑acre site limit and higher liability amounts — and declined to adopt all of them, instead relying in part on nationally referenced codes and standards to set baseline requirements. “We would both kinda work in tandem,” Hamilton said when asked who would inspect commercial construction, referring to an interlocal agreement with the city for…