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Developer proposes joint development agreement for Kossuth County battery storage after zoning denial
Summary
A Lion Energy representative asked Kossuth County supervisors to consider a joint development agreement with Alliant Energy to advance the Golden Plains Battery Storage Project after the county Board of Adjustment denied a special-use permit; supervisors said they will consult the county attorney and revisit the matter at the Jan. 13 meeting.
Amanda Kessler, a senior renewables development specialist who identified herself as working for Lion Energy, told the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors that the company seeks a joint development agreement with Alliant Energy to advance the Golden Plains Battery Storage Project near Lakota.
Kessler said the Board of Adjustment denied the project's special-use permit after a November hearing and that members asked for supervisory guidance on permitting and expectations. "There is nothing currently in your zoning ordinance as it relates to battery energy storage," she said, adding the joint development agreement is a common tool the company has used in other Iowa counties to set construction and operation standards and to clarify liabilities and county expectations.
Supervisors asked how the proposed agreement would relate to the Board of Adjustment decision and whether the board could or should override or otherwise respond to the denial. Kessler said the company is open to options, including reapplying or pursuing a joint development agreement and that it had incorporated feedback from other counties and the public hearing into the draft she provided.
Members said the county attorney should review the matter and flagged timing: with only one regular meeting remaining in the year, legal review and a formal response could occur at the board's January meeting. The board asked staff to place the item on the Jan. 13 agenda for attorney review and to invite a company representative to return. No formal action on the agreement was taken during this meeting.
Why it matters: battery storage projects raise questions about local zoning, public safety and land use. The supervisors' decision to seek legal guidance before taking further action preserves procedural steps and gives the Board of Adjustment's denial legal context.
Next steps: County staff will ask the county attorney to review whether a joint development agreement or reapplication is appropriate and will schedule the item for the board's next available meeting for further direction.
