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Residents press safety, noise and compensation concerns over AES Crossvine battery storage project
Summary
Residents and a nearby landowner raised safety and construction-noise concerns about the AES Crossvine battery energy storage system (BESS); county officials said emergency services have been trained, AES will provide monitoring personnel and install a water tank, and AES agreed to later Saturday start times for pile driving.
Rita Bartelt, a non-participating landowner near the AES Crossvine project, told the Dubois County Commissioners on July 6 that she and neighboring residents fear how a battery energy storage system (BESS) fire would affect homes and want clarity about compensation if property is damaged. "I—m concerned about what would happen should my home be affected by a fire and how I would be compensated," Bartelt said during the public-comment portion of the meeting.
Jacey Lamb, a Huntingburg resident, told commissioners the hazards of a BESS thermal fire differ from a conventional structure fire: water, she said, "cannot stop thermal runaway; it only cools the surroundings," and a plume from a thermal event could reignite, adding that there is no standardized playbook to fight such a fire.
Commissioner President Chad A. Blessinger responded that local emergency management and fire departments have received training to respond to potential incidents at the site. Blessinger said AES will install a water tank that will be available to local emergency services and that AES will provide personnel to monitor the BESS either on site or remotely. "Emergency Management and the local fire departments have been trained in the event of an emergency," Blessinger said.
Several commenters also raised operational concerns tied to construction. Randy Bartelt displayed photos of dust generated by AES construction and said the dust created safety and nuisance issues for adjacent landowners. Blessinger said he had contacted AES about early-morning pile driving and that the company confirmed it will start work at 8:00 a.m. on Saturdays instead of 7:00 a.m. and will try to avoid residential areas on Saturdays; weekday pile driving will begin at 7:30 a.m.
Paul Gasser, a resident, urged having an on-site compliance monitor but questioned the value: "I feel that would be adding 'lipstick on a pig,'" he said, also noting the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission's (IURC) involvement and funding structure.
The county also discussed a potential option from developer EDP to fund or provide a solar-park consultant or compliance officer to monitor projects; the commissioners said they will review that offer and discuss it further at a future meeting.
Next steps: Commissioners said they will continue communications with AES and consider whether to accept EDP—s offer for a consultant. The county did not adopt any binding regulatory changes at the July 6 meeting.
