Union County board approves 10‑MW battery storage at former Parkwood substation after safety, property‑value reviews

The Union County Zoning Land Use Board on March 17 approved a special use permit for a 10‑megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) on a one‑acre parcel at 5907 Lancaster Highway, a site the applicant said was previously used as an electric substation.

Vice Chair Rick Davis opened the quasi‑judicial hearing and the applicant, Nicholas Cooley of Ravenvolt, presented plans and evidence, including a hazard mitigation analysis and an emergency response plan. ‘‘The proposed facility is designed as an unmanned substation which will generate minimal traffic, limited primarily to periodic maintenance activities,’’ Cooley said during his presentation (applicant representative).

Why it matters: the project will be sited adjacent to Union Power infrastructure and is intended to reduce wholesale peak‑power costs for cooperative members. NCEMC’s director of energy services, Timothy Goobitz, said the battery units will be charged during low‑cost off‑peak hours and discharged at peak times to lower overall system costs, describing the site as a 10‑megawatt installation that could support roughly 6,000 homes at…