The company behind a proposal to build a battery energy storage system facility in Wheatland is back with a community forum next week.
Robin Energy Storage has announced it will host a host a community forum on Tuesday, May 19 from 6 to 8 p.m,. at the Kenosha County Center, Highway 50 and 45 in Bristol.
“The event will be a moderated discussion with our team, which will include Q&A from the audience,” said a project spokesperson. “We’ve brought in specialists with real world experience in topics like safety and groundwater, which have been raised by residents in meetings and online. The evening will provide a forum where community members can hear about the technology and ask follow-up questions.”
A proposal by Robin Energy Battery Storage was rejected by the Wheatland Plan Commission in January and later withdrawn by the company. Community response was strong with several meetings that packed Town Hall to overflowing with virtually all citizen comments opposed to the project. Concerns raised included fire hazards and groundwater and air pollution in case of accidents.
Asked what was prompting the new forum and if there is a new initiative underway to get approval for this project the spokesman said “The project remains committed to sharing information and working towards a path forward in Wheatland and believes a community forum is a step in that direction.”
Robin Energy Storage proposed a battery energy storage system facility located on approximately 12 acres within an approximately 19-acre tract of land east of 392nd Avenue and north of Highway 50 in Wheatland in the rejected and withdrawn project. The site is especially apt, Robin representatives said, because it is adjacent to an existing electrical substation.
Robin had offered the town through a Joint Development Agreement $8.6 million across the 20-year life of the project, according to Robin documents submitted to Kenosha County planning.
Opponents of the project have pushed the town to pass a strict ordinance governing such facilities.
