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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/10/24 Planning Commission Minutes/ Minutes Town of Pulaski Planning Commission Municipal Building, Council Chambers September 10, 2024 Present: AJ Schrantz, Kevin Meyer, Terry Hale, Van Taylor, Jeremy Clark Absent: Dustin Davis, Rachel Arthur Guests: Brian Quilan, Calvert Energy, LLC Call to Order Chairman Meyer called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. The roll was taken by Summer Bork and a quorum was determined with five members present. Review of Minutes Chairman Meyer called for a review and a motion of August’s minutes. Mr. Schrantz made the motion to approve the minutes as written. Mr. Taylor seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. New Business Review of Special Exception for Major Utilities Services Presentation by Brian Quilan regarding Special Exception proposal Mr. Meyer asked for a staff overview. Ms. Bork reported Calvert Energy is applying for a major utility service in an unaddressed parcel at the end of Monte Vista Road extension. The limited access area is gated off by Appalachian Electrical Power company and Calver is proposing to develop a 20-megawatt battery storage facility in an adjacent parcel. Ms. Bork stated the Town’s Comprehensive Plan does not address alternative energy as goal, however Pulaski County’s Comprehensive Plan does, which would demonstrate a willingness from the Town to partner with the County. Mr. Meyer asked about ownership of the land and how this storage facility qualifies as alternative or green energy. Ms. Bork stated the road leading up to the parcel is owned by AEP and the parcel is owned by Culvert Energy. She also stated that when energy is generated, capturing excess energy and storing it to be released at a later time would be her understanding of the alternative energy. Mr. Quilan gave a brief summary on his education and career and introduced Calvert Energy, the company’s history and projects with EDF Renewables. Mr. Quilan presented the project overview stating this facility will interconnect directly to distribution lines from AEP and the batteries will charge and discharge as necessary from the electrical grid to provide energy, capacity, voltage support, and frequency response to the local distribution/transmission system. He reported this facility will operate remotely with no personnel on site. Mr. Meyer asked how these 20-megawatt batteries compared in size. Mr. Quilan stated they are on the smaller end of the spectrum, with no buildings on site, these storage units are about the same size as a tractor trailer container, being 29 ft long, 9 ft tall, and about 6ft wide. Mr. Taylor asked what material is contained in the batteries. Mr. Quilan reported they use lithium ion phosphate batteries. He stated lithium ion is the most common battery in the world, and lithium ion phosphate batteries have no heavy metals, no exotic material, and is all nontoxic. Mr. Quilan presented the special exception considerations being the location, the surrounding properties are zoned industrial and business. The design, using the existing trees maintained with a 100ft setback, the facility would have no noise, no moving parts, no smell, no lights, and with no personnel on site, it would be controlled and monitored remotely. He stated the electrical grid needs storage facilities to operate when needed and the facility would support the local town and or County that the facility operates in. Mr. Taylor asked how much square footage would impact the storage units. Mr. Quilan stated they would level out four acres, and construction would take about 7-9 months with maintenance quarterly once operational. Mr. Meyer asked how often do the batteries have to be replaced. Mr. Quilan stated the batteries last between 15 to 20 years depending on how often they are used. Mr. Quilan addressed some public safety, stating there is a very small percentage of fires being the lithium ion batteries are used in everyday devices. The facility will be gated and locked, there is no smell, or sound, and the batteries are enclosed in a container to keep water out. He stated the system is required to meet all NFPA, National Fire Protection, requirements, underwriters, labs, and code compliance. He stated if the doors are opened on the containers, they would be notified remotely and the facility would shut itself down. Mr. Meyer asked about fire suppression. Mr. Quilan stated there is no fire suppression and battery fires will burn themselves out. He reported the spacing of the containers and spacing of the batteries inside the container is important so the fire doesn’t propagate and with the facility being operated remotely, it will alert when temperature levels of the containers elevate or produce too much hydrogen. He reported the battery fires do produce a toxic gas but the air quality is not affected. Mr. Schrantz asked if there was an emergency response plan worked out with the Fire Department and county officials. Mr. Quilan reported there would be plans in place for emergency response. Mr. Quilan reported on the economic development factor being this facility will not create long term jobs, but there is a significant amount of civil work by a local contactor. Mr. Taylor asked about environmental mitigation to replace what they would be taking when grating the parcel. Mr. Quilan stated there will be a 25ft area between the batteries and the trees that would be covered with some form of ground cover and the stormwater system of placing a culvert or berm on the southwestern part of the property directed to the stormwater pond. Commission members thanked Mr. Quilan for his presentation. Special Exception Public Hearing Date The motion was made by Mr. Taylor and seconded by Mr. Clark to hold the special exception public hearing on October 21st at 6pm in Council Chambers. All commissioners present were in agreeance. Vote to Appoint Olivia Hale as Secretary The motion was made by Mr. Taylor and seconded by Mr. Hale to appoint Olivia Hale as secretary with unanimous approval by present commissoners. Staff Report Ms. Bork stated there was no Staff Report. Commissioner Comments The Commission Members thanked Ms. Bork for her work on the Special Exception Overview that was presented. Adjournment With there being no further business, Mr. Clark made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Taylor seconded the motion and with no objections, the meeting was adjourned at 7:13 p.m.