200-megawatt energy storage project proposed in Wheatland [Video]

WHEATLAND — An Omaha, Neb.-based power development company is looking to build a 200-megawatt battery storage system in the Town of Wheatland.

It has been proposed to hold and release energy to compensate for gaps in energy needs during peak usage and emergencies, supplying power to as many as 125,000 homes over the next two decades.

The Robin Energy Storage Project developers are  offering to contribute minimum payments of $200,000 a year, $4 million over the 20-year-period to the town, according to Tenaska energy company representatives. They presented their proposal to Wheatland officials and residents earlier this spring.

The project would invest an estimated $350 million in the local economy.

According to the plans, which have yet to be submitted for formal review, the $3.8 million energy storage facility would be installed on 12 acres of land on Highway 50 just west of ATC’s Balsam Transfer Station. It is considered …