Project representative outlines NextEra battery storage timeline and economic claims

A project representative presented the NextEra battery energy storage proposal and said the company has been engaging with Hardin County since 2023, with detailed engineering already under way to keep the project on schedule. The presenter said the project needs a county ordinance in place by November so permit applications can be submitted in the winter and construction begin next year, aiming for commercial operation in 2028.

The presenter quantified expected local economic impact during construction: “We expect to generate $45,000,000 in economic activity during the construction period,” and said roughly 100 people would work on site during the build phase. On local revenue, the presenter described tax uncertainty at the state level and said, “At the bare minimum, it will be a personal property tax on the value of the installation…The bare minimum would be about a $5,000 taxable income,” characterizing that as small relative to overall investment. The presenter recommended the county include development agreements, decommissioning plans and financial assurance in the ordinance and to tie safety standards to NFPA 855 so the ordinance automatically references evolving national codes.

The presenter also warned there is a parallel state process: a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) at the state level can take “anywhere from 4 months to a year,” and said applying directly to the Iowa utilities authority was an available but suboptimal route if a local ordinance was delayed. The board did not take a formal vote on the project during the meeting; staff and planning and zoning were identified as the next local steps.