Major Battery Storage Project coming to Vandalia

VandaliaBusiness

May 24

Regulators for the State of Ohio have given the green light for a massive new power storage site in Vandalia. The Ohio Power Siting Board voted on Thursday, May 16, to approve the project by Prairie Flyer Energy Storage, LLC. The project calls for an 85-megawatt battery energy storage facility to be built on 7.3 acres within a 19-acre parcel of land just west of the Vandalia Rentals location on Engle Road.

According to the company’s website, the battery storage system will connect to the existing Dayton Power & Light electric substation across Northwoods Boulevard. “The Prairie Flyer Energy Storage Facility will benefit local residents and businesses by improving the power grid and supporting the local economy. Major benefits include:

Improved reliability, efficiency, and resiliency of the regional power grid without an increase in electricity bills
Increased efficient integration of existing and future energy resources across Ohio and throughout the region
Benefits of a private financial investment in the community with the potential for significant, predictable local government tax revenue.”

According to Prairie Flyer, “Energy storage is a passive use that provides industrial-level investments and benefits to the electric grid and the homes and businesses that rely upon it without producing emissions, odor, waste, or traffic.”

Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and the facility is expected to be in service in 2025. Before approval, Jupiter Power, the parent company of Prairie Flyer Energy Storage, LLC, held public information meetings at the Vandalia Branch of the Dayton Metro Library on March 30, 2023 and February 12, 2024.

According to paperwork filed with the state of Ohio, “Jupiter Power is an independent power producer that provides energy management and reliability services to local electric grids through the deployment of battery energy storage systems. Jupiter specializes in owning and operating its projects long-term. Jupiter Power was founded in 2017 and is backed by Blackrock’s Diversified Infrastructure business. Jupiter Power has a six-project, 655 megawatt-hour (MWh) portfolio of commercially operating utility-scale battery energy storage projects and four projects totaling 740 MWh currently under construction.”

For more information, visit the company website at https://www.prairieflyerenergy.com.

Greg Enslen

Greg Enslen is the publisher of the Tippecanoe Gazette, a weekly newspaper, and an Ohio author and columnist. He's written and published thirty-six books, including nine fiction titles and four collections of essays and columns. Many are available through Gypsy Publications of Troy, Ohio. For more information, please see his Amazon Author Page or visit his Facebook fan page.

http://www.gregenslen.com/