Battery storage proposal draws scrutiny in Vernon

Carrie Cullen Hitt, a PowerTransitions spokeswoman, said the company had already shelved earlier ideas for a data center and a solar installation.

A possible battery energy storage project at the former Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant site became the focus of a well-attended community meeting last Wednesday, where residents pressed PowerTransitions on safety, noise, jobs, taxes and the broader future of the property.

The forum at the Governor Hunt House community center came as the Texas-based company continues studying whether part of the 140-acre site can be repurposed. Company representatives said a battery facility remains the leading idea, but they also made clear that the project would not move ahead without local support.

Concerns over fire risk drew significant attention, especially because recent battery storage fires elsewhere have raised public unease. Rocky Edwards, an engineer with TetraTech, told attendees that battery systems have improved over the past decade and are considered safer than earlier models. He said any fire at such a facility would be handled with water, and described the proposed units as separated, trailer-sized containers with smoke detection systems.

Edwards said the batteries would typically measure about eight feet wide, 22 feet long and 10 to 12 feet high, and would have an expected life of 15 to 20 years. He also said the units would be spaced apart so one fire would not necessarily spread to another.

Noise was another issue for local residents, including one woman who said the operation could affect organic dairy cows at the Miller Farm. Other questions centered on how much the project might contribute in property taxes and whether it would create meaningful employment.

Carrie Cullen Hitt, a PowerTransitions spokeswoman, said the company had already shelved earlier ideas for a data center and a solar installation after hearing opposition from Vernon residents. She said the company is still evaluating the site and shaping a plan.

Derek Porter, another consultant working with PowerTransitions, said the storage project could range from 110 megawatts to 440 megawatts. He said that scale could bring tax benefits to Vernon and the state, depending on how much electricity is stored and later sent back to the grid.

PowerTransitions says the main purpose of battery storage would be to help balance power demand by drawing electricity when usage is low and returning it when demand rises. Hitt said the company is considering an application to ISO-New England for placement in the region’s interconnect queue, a required step before connecting to the grid.

The company has a lease with NorthStar Group Services, which owns the site. Cleanup and demolition at Vermont Yankee are nearly finished, but spent fuel rods remain stored in steel and concrete casks.

State officials say they will wait for an actual filing before taking a formal position. Vermont Department of Public Service commissioner Kerrick Johnson said by email Tuesday that the state’s response will depend on the details of any proposal. He added that, in principle, a battery project could support grid reliability and could be useful if paired with another power source on the site.

PowerTransitions said it has discussed the concept with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, though it also acknowledged that no battery facility has been built beside a nuclear fuel storage area. Hitt said the company would keep open the possibility of adding another form of generation later, though she did not specify what that might be.

The meeting did not address the possibility of a small modular nuclear reactor, and one attendee said at the end that such a project would likely face strong local resistance. Hitt said at the start that the company had backed away from collecting RSVPs and would not be compiling a list of names or contact information.

She also described the Yankee property as unusually complex and said PowerTransitions would not move forward with either state permitting or grid-connection efforts if Vernon does not support the plan. She told the audience the discussion was only the beginning and that the company intended to return.