UAC tells Emery County battery storage is increasingly standard; Horn Shadow seeks 47‑acre expansion

UAC representative Brandy Grace briefed the CRA on three solar-area projects. She said Hunter intends to add battery storage without asking for additional increment or expanding the project area, while Horn Shadow is asking to expand its boundary by about 47 acres to site a battery installation and is requesting the same increment previously negotiated for its solar development (staff said that request appeared to be about 40%).

"Battery storage has been a key piece to that technology and we're seeing that come on really, all of these projects throughout the state," Grace said, explaining that some projects require separate participation agreements when different investors back the battery-storage component. She noted SITLA (state trust lands) projects such as Drunkard's Wash can proceed with limited local input, and recommended the county engage SITLA to secure local considerations such as wildlife mitigation and decommissioning plans.

Commissioners raised taxation and depreciation questions; UAC staff described typical contractual and depreciation schedules (30-year contract, 20-year depreciation schedule leading to rapid early depreciation) and explained that placing value inside a project area can stabilize county tax revenue streams. Commissioners asked UAC for financial budgets on Horn Shadow before making decisions and requested UAC outreach to SITLA to bring the county into negotiations where possible.