Christian County commission votes down proposed battery storage facility

OZARK, Mo. (KY3)—A battery energy storage system will no longer be brought to Ozarks.

It comes after Christian County commissioners rejected an estimated $100 million project. The project would’ve been near a substation off Old Prospect Road in Ozark, and people who live nearby say they are grateful the commissioners listened.

“I cannot even tell you how relieved I am,” said Nola Essick, who would’ve lived across the street from the facility. “Nobody wanted it, especially after they heard about how dangerous that could possibly be.”

Essick says she did hours of research, placed warning signs in her front yard, and provided people with tools to learn more about the proposed energy storage system.

Now, she’s put up a new one, thanking county commissioners for listening after they unanimously voted down the plant.

“I felt that it wasn’t a good fit for us at this time, this project and this equipment that they use is in its infancy, there’s been a lot of issues across the country with it,” said Commissioner Bradley Jackson. “My citizens rights and values are worth much more than any money that could be coming in from a private development that only benefits them.”

Jackson says the facility brought fire and property value concerns. He also says there’s just not enough data yet on these facilities.

Black Mountain Energy Storage, out of Austin, Texas, proposed the project. They say it would’ve brought benefits such as providing backup power in emergencies and balancing the power grid.

“Safety across the industry is one of our biggest concerns and we wouldn’t be trying to implement this if it wasn’t,” said Steve Gordon, Black Mountain Energy. “This is new technology and we are following all of these engineering codes and its constantly evolving.”

Essick says she’s glad commissioners raised additional concerns about humming noises and the potential eye-sore of the facility.

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