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Audubon County board extends temporary moratorium on utility-scale battery storage
Summary
The Audubon County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 24 to extend a temporary moratorium on accepting or processing applications for utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) until May 1, 2026, or until a permanent ordinance is adopted, after a public hearing and staff updates.
The Audubon County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 24 to extend a temporary moratorium on utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems, saying staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission need time to develop permanent zoning rules.
The public hearing opened at 10:07 a.m. and closed at 10:35 a.m. Engineer Mitch Rydl provided construction and maintenance updates and said a county project would require purchasing right-of-way from landowners. The board approved a compensation estimate for affected landowners during the hearing (motion by Don Mosinski, second Heath Hansen).
The text of Resolution 2026-12, entered into the record, cites Iowa Code Section 331.302 and states the county does not currently have a specific ordinance for utility-scale BESS. The resolution imposes a temporary moratorium "effective immediately and until May 1, 2026; or until passage of a permanent Utility Scale BESS Development ordinance." The board approved the resolution by motion (moved by Heath Hansen, seconded by Don Mosinski); the meeting minutes record the outcome as "all in favor." The transcript does not list an individual roll-call tally.
County officials said the moratorium will allow the Board and Planning & Zoning Commission time to gather information and coordinate with agencies before drafting or updating local ordinances and procedures for utility-scale battery projects. The resolution was entered in the meeting record as Resolution 2026-12.
