Reno Planning Commission approves 200 MW battery storage project near Miraloma substation

The Reno City Planning Commission voted unanimously March 4 to approve a conditional use permit for a 200-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) on a 25-acre portion of a larger site adjacent to the Miraloma substation.

The project, submitted as LDC26-000033 and presented by Nathan Gilbert of Development Services, would place clustered battery units and a one-acre substation area on terraces up the hillside to support regional grid reliability. The applicant described the proposal as a “major utility” installation designed to charge during low-demand periods and discharge during peak demand to stabilize the local grid.

Why it matters: the commission and applicant framed the facility as infrastructure to reduce peak-demand strain and integrate more renewables into the grid as South Reno grows. Supporters told commissioners the project aligns with local climate and resilience goals and could provide tax and economic benefits over its lifecycle.

Commissioners and staff focused on public-safety and environmental protections. Applicant representatives said modern units incorporate thermal monitoring, closed-loop cooling and automatic shutdowns; Eric Hasty of the applicant team said “each unit is self-contained,” describing multiple redundancies to limit thermal events and prevent propagation between units.

Fire Marshal John Beck told the commission that the department has reviewed the design and expects emergency response to center on immediate notification and a staged on-site response: “If there is a spike in…one of the units, it’s automatically going to trigger notification to the monitoring company that’s going to bring it to the Reno Fire Department’s attention. We’re going to respond and come to the staging area and stand by.” He added that firefighters would focus on preventing products of combustion from escaping the site and would treat any off-site threat as a wildland-interface incident.

Public comment was mixed but leaned supportive on climate grounds: Anne Nolan, a Reno resident, said the project would help capture excess renewable generation and support grid stability, and noted the technology uses lithium iron phosphate chemistry described by the applicant as less prone to thermal runaway.

Modifications and conditions: commissioners approved the CUP with technical adjustments to several conditions of approval relating to grading, wall types and the timing of decommissioning/permit issuance. Staff and the applicant added requirements for a decommissioning plan, a landscaped screening strip and sound/screen walls to reduce visual and noise impacts to adjacent homes. The record includes a noise study showing modeled levels would meet Reno decibel standards under the project’s worst-case operating assumptions.

Next steps: the decision allows the applicant to proceed subject to the conditions set by the commission; annexation and related map actions were discussed as subsequent steps that would go to City Council where applicable.

The commission’s decision was unanimous.