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 peak demand using industry conversion metrics.

Safety and operations: fire protection engineer Andrew (Andy) Blum of Fire and Risk Alliance testified that the team followed National Fire Protection Association guidance (NFPA‑855) and that industry practice for containerized systems emphasizes containment and monitoring. Blum said the current industry guidance recommends an initial evacuation perimeter of about 150 feet as a conservative starting point and reported the nearest residences to the Parkwood site are roughly 300 feet away, which his analysis said would generally avoid off‑site exposures if a fire remained contained.

Blum explained that modern Tesla Megapacks use lithium iron phosphate chemistry, which reduces certain toxic heavy metals compared with earlier chemistries, and that manufacturers perform non‑propagation testing to show thermal runaway in one cabinet does not spread to adjacent containers. ‘‘We have performed full tests where they’ve burned an entire mega‑pack cabinet to show that with it on fire it won’t propagate to the next one,’’ he said.

Monitoring, alarms and response: panelists said monitoring will be multilayered — a site‑level battery management and SCADA system plus remote operation monitoring by Tesla and the energy provider. Goobitz said communications would use fiber with cellular and Starlink backups; staff also noted the project includes a site‑specific emergency response plan and training for local fire responders. The applicant committed to providing the hazard mitigation analysis, emergency response plan and a decommissioning plan to county reviewers.

Costs, life cycle and insurance: speakers described the project cost roughly in the low‑millions amortized over a 20‑year economic life; Goobitz and others said the manufacturer provides a 15‑year warranty and that co‑ops like NCEMC and Union Power would manage long‑term service commitments and insurance for restoration if needed.

Property values and noise: licensed appraiser Hunter Howell presented a paired‑sales analysis and peer examples showing no measurable negative effect on nearby home prices at comparable sites; he also cited a 2025 national study with similar findings. Applicant materials included a noise study that measured 60–65 decibels at 10 meters (≈32 feet) from a cabinet; the applicant noted the leftmost battery on the site plan sits roughly 50 feet from Lancaster Highway and the nearest homes sit approximately 300 feet from the battery containers.

Board action and conditions: after closing the evidentiary portion of the hearing and deliberating the five required findings of fact, the board voted to accept staff recommendations and grant the special use permit. Staff reiterated that the project must comply with local, state and federal regulations, meet the Union County Development Ordinance and fully conform to the site‑specific plan; the applicant will also provide the hazard mitigation analysis and emergency response plan for county review.

Next steps: the permit was granted with the condition that staff recommendations and required documentation be satisfied; the project team and Union County will coordinate training and emergency planning with local fire services and first responders. The board gave the applicant permission to present exhibits and enter the hazard mitigation analysis into the record.