HAMPTON TWP, MI – The Hampton Township Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Feb. 12 to review a special use permit request from Consumers Energy for a battery energy storage system on the site of a former coal-fired power plant.
The proposed Weadock Battery Energy Storage System represents a $70 million investment and would occupy approximately 5 acres of the 74-acre parcel that previously housed the Weadock coal-fired generation facility.
The project includes a 45-megawatt battery energy storage facility featuring 36 lithium iron phosphate batteries, along with inverters and a collector substation, that Consumers Energy said would enhance grid reliability.
The planning commission will review site plan materials submitted by Consumers Energy as part of the special use permit process. The project design includes battery equipment, an electrical collection system, fencing, landscape buffers, internal access roads, and other improvements.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Hampton Township Hall,
Consumers Energy plans to connect the facility to its existing electrical substation at the Karn generation facility. The company anticipates the battery storage system will remain in service for 30 years.
The installation is expected to generate property tax revenue for the township and create both temporary construction jobs and permanent positions in electrical work, civil engineering, and site operations.
Battery energy storage systems store and distribute energy harnessed from renewable sources like wind and solar, allowing for more energy capture and reducing the overall cost of electricity.
The township is already home to part of an 80MW, large-scale solar farm on property owned by Consumers Energy, just southeast of the Karn plant. The property spans 872 acres, 50 of which are within the city of Essexville.
The solar facility can generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 20,000 homes.
