State approves battery power storage site in Vandalia
May 17—State regulators have approved the building of a battery energy storage site in Vandalia.
The Ohio Power Siting Board on Thursday authorized Prairie Flyer Energy Storage, LLC to build an 85-megawatt battery energy storage system in Vandalia.
The Prairie project will consist of an array of battery containers, power conversion systems, underground electric collection lines, a collection substation, a generation interconnection electric transmission line, access roads and perimeter fencing, the board said.
The project footprint will occupy seven acres of a 19-acre parcel connecting to the electric transmission grid at AES Ohio's existing Vandalia substation.
The company has said the facility will be located west of Engle Road and north of Northwoods Boulevard.
The developer indicated that it planned to begin construction in the second quarter of 2024. It expects construction to last about a year, with some time afterward for testing and commissioning of about four months, said Matt Butler, a spokesman for the state Power Siting Department.
Public hearings on the project were held in February and March.
The facility is not expected to be visible from the road or nearby homes and businesses, according to Prairie Flyer.
The batteries serve as a form of back-up power. They charge when there is extra power available on the grid, such as overnight or during times of low demand. When the batteries discharge or return power to the grid during peak energy demand, power is delivered to the substation and distributed to homes and businesses.
The city of Vandalia objected to the project in March 2023, calling it "detrimental to the city and its residents." But in a November letter to the Power Siting Board, City Manager Dan Wendt wrote that Prairie Flyer officials had satisfactorily addressed his previous concerns, including safety issues.
A message seeking comment was sent to a spokesman for the city of Vandalia on Thursday.
