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Residents urge strict safety rules or block proposed battery storage near I-10 in Mountain Home
Summary
Mountain Home residents and volunteer firefighters raised safety, water-use and toxic-runoff concerns about a planned Esvolda battery storage facility near FM 479/I-10, asking the county's subregional planning commission to demand stringent conditions or stop the project.
Local residents and volunteer fire-department supporters told the Hill Country Energy Subregional Planning Commission update on June 8 that they oppose a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) project being marketed by Esvolda for a site near FM 479 and Interstate 10.
Carrie Short, a resident and volunteer'affiliated spouse, said the company could not produce specific safety plans, chemical emissions data or suppression blueprints at a recent meeting with community members. She warned that the project would be sited one to two miles from more than 300 homes and along a stretch of I-10 that sees 22,000–25,000 vehicles daily, and urged the court and subregional commission to demand "the most stringent safety regulations possible" or halt the project.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they have submitted formal comments to the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the State Fire Marshal about draft rules for energy storage systems, and they noted that evacuation guidance and hazmat requirements in some guidance (for example, a 500-meter evacuation recommendation) pose operational challenges for local volunteer departments. Commissioner precinct 4 said the commission has asked Esvolda to present in a public forum and invited the company to the July 7 subregional planning meeting in Kendall County.
Public-safety concerns described by residents included lack of on-site personnel (monitoring planned electronically), uncertainty about water-supply needs for suppression, potential groundwater contamination from runoff after a BESS fire, and gaps in evacuation and emergency-notification planning. Commissioner precinct 4 said the county is exploring regulatory and planning responses and emphasized the high cost of converting volunteer departments into fully professional units capable of managing industrial-scale hazards.
Attribution: Carrie's comments and the commissioner's update are drawn from public remarks at the June 8 Commissioner's Court meeting and the subregional planning commission segment of the agenda.
