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Board approves public hearing on two battery storage site‑agreements; Light Shift Energy to contribute training and one‑time payments
Summary
The Board authorized a public hearing for November 13 on two signing agreements with Light Shift Energy for 4 MW battery projects at the Colleen and Piney River substations. The agreements include one‑time payments and training commitments; the resolution passed on roll call.
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize a public hearing on proposed signing agreements with Light Shift Energy for two standalone battery energy storage projects sited at the Colleen Substation and the Piney River substation.
Gabby (Gabby/Gabby) Mayer of Light Shift Energy told the board each project would be a 4‑megawatt peak‑shaving battery system designed to charge during low‑cost periods and discharge during peak pricing to reduce transmission charges for CVEC members. The projects occupy a small physical footprint (Light Shift described the site layout as less than a tenth of an acre at the substation) and, Mayer said, are intended to provide both cost savings to cooperative members and increased local grid resiliency.
Light Shift’s proposed signing agreements include a one‑time capital payment to the county (stated in the draft terms as $8,000 per site), a $10,000 charitable donation (per site) to a county agency or nonprofit of the board’s choosing, and commitments to provide required specialized emergency‑response training and certain equipment to the local emergency response team. Mayer and county staff said Light Shift will coordinate training with the county and local fire department; the company said training would be ongoing for the life of the project and performed in partnership with recognized battery‑project training partners.
County staff summarized key legal context and changes made during negotiations: (1) decommissioning language was added to the agreement; (2) the company committed to purchase specialized equipment and fund required training; and (3) a reimbursement commitment was included for local fire‑department overtime or man‑hour costs if county emergency responders must provide support beyond normal expectations. Staff said machinery‑and‑tools tax assessments would also apply and estimated the projects’ annual tax yield at roughly $8,000–$9,000 per year (estimation pending Commissioner of Revenue calculations).
Supervisor [paraphrase of the motion speaker] moved adoption of Resolution R‑2025‑75 to authorize a public hearing on November 13. The board took a roll call vote in favor: Mr. Rutherford, Dr. Lee, Mr. Park and Mr. Lee recorded “Yes” votes. The motion passed and the public hearing was scheduled for November 13 to consider final approval of the signing agreements.
Light Shift representatives and county staff said construction permits and site plan approvals for the Colleen project are complete and building permits remain; the Piney River project had similar permitting progress. Staff characterized the battery projects as “by right” accessory uses under Nelson County Code (Article 4) and noted that a public hearing is required once the parties have agreed on signing‑agreement terms.
