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Local resident urges quick action on commercial battery storage; MatchBOX gives program update
Summary
A West Lafayette resident told commissioners a concealed developer has an active MISO interconnection request for a large commercial battery energy storage system (BESS) near a Duke substation and urged county planners to consider a ban, moratorium or rapid ordinance adoption; MatchBOX Studios also updated the board on membership and new programs.
A West Lafayette resident urged Tippecanoe County officials on June 15 to act quickly after discovering an active interconnection request in the MISO queue for a large commercial battery energy storage system near the Duke substation at County Road 500 West and State Road 26.
Kenny McCreary, identifying himself with an address in West Lafayette, told commissioners that neither the county nor Duke Energy appeared to have known about the project and that the developer's identity has been hidden in the queue for several years. McCreary described the facility as a standalone commercial BESS used for energy arbitrage and outlined three options for the county: ban commercial BESS facilities temporarily, impose a moratorium to allow ordinance development, or quickly adapt ordinances from other counties that have already adopted BESS rules. "The state law on BESS is simply not enough by itself," he said, and urged the county and the Area Planning Commission to act before it is too late.
Later in the public-comment period, Amanda Findlay and Juliana Cassavan of MatchBOX Studios provided a community update. They said MatchBOX surpassed 350 current members in its co-working studio, has served more than 1,000 members overall, and has graduated over 500 entrepreneurs through its acceleration programming. They highlighted a downtown pop-up retail initiative in partnership with the city and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and described a new Founder Growth Network to support post-revenue entrepreneurs.
What happens next: McCreary asked the commissioners to coordinate with APC staff to consider ordinance options; the transcript records his public comment but does not show immediate action by the board. MatchBOX representatives were thanked and no further action was recorded in the meeting minutes.
