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Commissioners review special‑exception amendment for Dominion‑owned Remington battery storage site
Summary
A Category 20 special exception amendment would add a tier‑2 battery energy storage system on Dominion property in Remington: staff described about 17 acres of battery enclosures, a 230 kV substation, screening and emergency response requirements; commissioners probed comp‑plan fit and buffers.
Staff presented a Category 20 special exception amendment for a proposed battery energy storage system on Dominion‑owned property off Lucky Hill Road in Remington. The application would expand site development to roughly 72 acres overall with about 17 acres for the tier‑2 battery storage enclosures and associated infrastructure and would connect to the existing Remington Power Station switch yard.
Key proposal elements: staff said the system would be a "100 megawatt hour alternating current 400 megawatt hour battery energy storage system" encompassing about 17 acres with 174 individual enclosures roughly 20' x 8' in size, a 230‑kV substation, a 20‑foot gravel access road around the facility, stormwater management, and perimeter fencing with barbed wire. Conditions proposed include construction/operation standards consistent with the zoning ordinance (setbacks, decommissioning, emergency response plan), a 50‑foot vegetated buffer along Lucky Hill Road to screen batteries from adjacent properties, a 20‑foot planting strip and 30‑foot evergreen screen elsewhere, and pre/post construction road evaluations for delivery routes reviewed and approved by VDOT.
Why it matters: the site already contains an electrical generating plant approved in 1998; commissioners questioned whether battery storage fits the earlier special‑exception framework, whether the comp‑plan designation remains appropriate, and how screening and emergency planning would be verified. Staff and commissioners discussed the role of the comprehensive plan designation for electrical generating facilities and noted batteries were treated under public‑utilities categories in the zoning ordinance. Dominion owns the underlying property, staff said.
Next steps: staff included revised conditions addressing lighting, battery‑management interface with fire alarms, and pre/post road evaluations. The application will proceed through public hearing and the record to the Board of Supervisors.
