Wylie ISD student Tristan Rhodus was honored as the junior mayor for day at the Tuesday, June 27 council meeting. Courtesy City of Wylie

Wylie might soon be home to the largest battery storage facility in the area with a proposed 8.96-acre facility at 1101 E Brown Street, next to the Oncor substation.

City council unanimously approved a zoning change for the land from Agricultural to Light Industrial, at the Tuesday, June 27, city council meeting opening the door to more detailed plans for the project. The project will be carried out by Black Mountain Energy Storage (BMES), a company based out of Fort Worth.

“The idea behind the battery storage facility is to provide and store backup power for the electrical grid,” said Jasen Haskins, community service director. 

The proposed facility will boast an operational life of over 20 years and provide backup power for the electrical grid and prevent power outages as the city continues to grow. The site will be unmanned, except for some routine maintenance provided by BMES.

Although there is a residential neighborhood south of the proposed site, BMES representative Steven Gordon said there will be no safety hazards because the proposed facility meets or exceeds all safety standards. Gordon explained that every single battery in the facility will have smoke, heat, and gas sensors, along with fire suppression features and an electrical safety design. The facility will also have automatic shutdown feature built in. The plan was already unanimously approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission regarding fire and natural disaster safety considerations.

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