New Energy Use Proposed For Reid Gardner Site

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

New energy technology may soon be coming to the Moapa Valley. Regional utility NV Energy has found a new use for the site of the old Reid Gardner Generation Station, a coal-burning plant which was decommissioned and demolished in 2019. The new role for the site promises to be an important component for serving the peak power demand throughout the region in an energy landscape marked by a proliferation of renewable resources.

The Moapa Town Advisory Board (MTAB) approved a proposal for a new, industrial-grade battery energy storage system (BESS) facility to be developed at the old Reid Gardner site during a meeting held on Tuesday evening, June 27.

In a presentation on behalf of NV Energy, Mark Sullivan gave a summary on the plans at the meeting. He explained that the request was to establish the BESS on about 5 acres of the 67 acre Reid Gardner site.

The 220 megawatt facility would be built to temporarily store energy from the grid during periods of low energy demand during the day, Sullivan said. That energy would be stored in a complex of 208 lithium iron phosphate battery cells. Then the batteries would feed the stored energy back onto the grid to be used during peak demand periods later in the day.

“This is really just to help with peak times,” Sullivan said. “Because we don’t have the energy that’s available in the marketplace sometimes, and when it is available it is extremely expensive at peak times. So this will help us kind of fill that peak void when there’s shortages in the system.”

Sullivan said that the batteries would be stored in large metal structures that resemble shipping containers. In addition, the site would have a prefabricated metal structure to serve as a control building for the facility.

Except for occasional maintenance and upkeep, the site would be largely unmanned, Sullivan said.
The facility would be tied into the grid by a 230 kV overhead transmission line spanning about 400 feet to the existing Reid Gardner substation.
The overall cost on the project was projected at about $250 million.

Sullivan explained that the requests before the board were for the necessary Use Permits for the structures and a Design Review on the facility and its transmission line.

Finally, the company was also asking the board to waive requirements to provide landscaping and to build off-site improvements (curbs, gutters, sidewalks, streetlights and paving) along Hidden Valley Road outside of the site.

Much of the questions from town board members centered around safety. MTAB member Blake Stratton was concerned about the planning in place in case a fire should occur on the site.

“With this kind of equipment, it isn’t the same way as you’d usually think of firefighters extinguishing a fire,” responded Sullivan. “This is more of a thermal fire. So you basically sit outside the fence and wait it out. But if something happens, we call the fire department and there is an agreed upon course of action that is taken given the situation.”

Sullivan said that contact had already been made with the Moapa Valley Fire District Chief informing him of the plan. “We will be setting up an appointment with the Chief and going over this with him in detail so he’s comfortable with what we’re doing with the development,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan added that the individual battery structures are spaced far enough apart from each other that any fire event would be isolated to just one of them. It would not be able to spread between units.

MTAB member Mike Abbott asked some specific questions about the cycling schedule for the facility. Sullivan responded that the batteries are expected to be recharging during off-peak hours, late at night and throughout the middle part of the day when solar power generation is at its peak.

Then the batteries would be drawn down during peak hours in morning and early evening when people are at home consuming the most energy.

It is estimated that the facility, when fully charged, would be able to supply energy for a period of about two hours, Sullivan said. In addition, the cycle of recharge and draw down is expected to go on 24 hours a day/365 days a year at the facility. The lifespan of the battery units is estimated about about 20 years.

Sullivan emphasized that there were no provisions for the company to store the spent batteries on site. Instead, batteries would be replaced and disposed of properly off-site.

Sullivan was asked about what was being done to mitigate for the possibility of flooding into the facility from the nearby Muddy River. He responded that the company was bringing in about 35,000 cubic yards of dirt fill to raise the grade of the site about 6 feet and lift it out of the 100 year flood plain.

In the end, MTAB chairwoman Lola Egan made a motion to recommend approval of the requests pertaining to the project. The motion was adopted with a unanimous vote.

The matter is set to come before the Board of County Commissioners on July 19, 2023.