Planning Commission reviews Harwood Power battery storage plan, asks for stronger water and hazard safeguards

The King George County Planning Commission on its October meeting heard a public hearing on a special‑exception application from Clyde Unlimited Partnership and Harwood Power LLC to site a battery energy storage facility on roughly 12 acres near Route 301 and Washington Mill Road. Planning staff said the property is in a larger industrially zoned parcel inside the Claydale settlement area and that draft permit conditions — including a preliminary decommissioning plan and fire‑rescue coordination — were provided in the packet.

Open Road Renewables’ Cyrus Tashkori, who led the applicant presentation, said the facility would contain roughly 10‑foot‑tall battery containers and be monitored 24/7 remotely. He described the project as a grid reliability asset in the PJM footprint, cited spacing, firewalls, perimeter fencing, and an emergency plan, and said the design is intended to limit fire propagation and allow first responders to manage incidents while minimizing public health risks. He stated the project would comply with NFPA 855 standards and be bonded for decommissioning.

The presentation emphasized safety and operations: containers are spaced to limit propagation, there will be on‑site water tanks and Knox box access for emergency responders, and the applicant said it would fund some fire‑equipment items requested by the fire marshal and provide training. Tashkori also said the developer prefers to fill emergency water tanks from the county system but listed three options: permitted on‑site wells, trucking in water to tanks, or connecting to county water. He said a final water‑supply approach would be worked out before site‑plan approval with county staff and the county engineer.

Several commissioners and members of the public pressed the applicant and staff on risk assessment and notifications. A local resident, Jeremy Cooper, said he lives about 0.5 miles from the site and that he received notice less than 24 hours before the hearing; he said the late notice left him feeling “nervous.” Commissioners asked staff to confirm the legal notice record; staff stated certified letters, posted signage and two weeks of newspaper advertising had been completed and that affidavits are on file.

Commissioners repeatedly requested a clearer, site‑specific risk assessment and hazard‑mitigation documentation in the emergency‑response plan, including specific language to address possible off‑site impacts and coordination with Fire & Rescue. Tashkori acknowledged the requests and said a site‑specific emergency‑management plan and risk assessment would be developed and reviewed by the fire marshal prior to final approvals. Commissioners also discussed the applicant’s proposed condition that would limit ownership/contracting with suppliers from adversarial foreign countries.

After extended questioning and public comment, the commission approved a motion to defer action until the next meeting so staff can revise the conditions and the applicant can provide requested clarifications. Commissioners flagged three items they wanted addressed in the revised packet: (1) require either county water or an on‑site 30,000‑gallon fire tank (removing commercial well as a preferred option), (2) add a formal hazard‑mitigation analysis into the emergency‑response plan, and (3) provide a clear staff recommendation on conformity with the zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan before forwarding to the Board of Supervisors.

The commission’s deferral does not represent final approval; the proposal will return to the commission after staff review and condition edits, then proceed to the Board of Supervisors if the commission forwards it. The applicant said it intends to pursue Dominion interconnection and would seek to stay on a first‑quarter timetable for grid‑queue deadlines, but acknowledged federal/state interconnection timelines can be rigid.