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Grundy County board votes to halt consideration of battery storage in special-use permits
Summary
The Grundy County Board on July 8, 2025, approved a resolution stating the county will not entertain special-use permits that include battery storage components pending further review; the board cited local fire-department concerns and a costly 2021 battery-storage fire.
The Grundy County Board voted July 8, 2025, to adopt a resolution that will effectively bar consideration of special-use permit applications that include a battery-storage component until the county completes further review.
Russ, who presented the resolution, said the measure was written after consultations with fire officials and in light of past incidents. "I wrote a resolution basically saying that due to the lack of convincing science and, any usable, battery energy storage systems that we are confident with that at this time we're not entertaining any special use permits that have a battery storage, component to it," he told the board.
Russ referenced a high-profile local fire tied to battery storage, saying the county has learned from a January 29, 2021, fire that burned for two weeks, required EPA involvement and generated substantial costs. County staff said no state prohibition prevents the county from placing a moratorium on local special-use permits that add battery storage to solar or other energy projects.
Board members said they will continue to consult local fire chiefs and other stakeholders; staff said County representatives planned to meet with fire chiefs later in the month to gather additional input before any longer-term policy is drafted.
The resolution passed on a voice vote. The county did not identify any pending battery-storage special-use permit approvals at the meeting; staff said several upcoming community-scale solar projects may seek storage components in the future.
