Residents raise concerns about future lithium battery storage facility

VAN ZANDT COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that hundreds of Van Zandt County residents are against a Finnish-owned lithium battery project set to come in December.

In the rural town of Whitton, their community center was packed on Tuesday with concerned residents as a forum was held. The company behind the project is called Taaleri Energia out of Finland. According to the company’s website, they are one of the largest dedicated renewables investment teams in Europe.

“It’s been overwhelming engagement, discouragement, and honestly just sadness and frustration that not enough people know what’s going on”,said Nancy White, a Van Zandt County resident said.

Although the Van Zandt County Commissioners held a meeting with head of construction for the project on Oct. 31, David Dunagan, who lives near the site, is concerned.

They show the fire suppression system is optional, and then they will not answer the question of will they include it or not and then their lawyer sends out fire chief for the county saying, “you can’t come inspect our facility… It makes us very nervous,” Dunagan said.

Neighbors also point to a pipeline, they say runs directly underneath where the energy storage facility would be.

“At a battery facility, where they are having to prepare for any kind of off gassing, or any kind of fire, and you got a pasture of land all around that. How would the fire turn around and effect the booster station.” Dunagan said.

People worry if an explosion were to happen, their local fire departments wouldn’t have the resources or people for a fast response.

The Whitten Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief said there are about 7 to 8 people on duty but mainly during the day. The department recently received their first fire truck that holds 1,000 gallons of water.

Nancy White and her family who live only five miles away from the proposed site are concerned about the environmental effects the facility will pose.
“You have the toxins going into the air, into your land. Because wind blows and if it rains, it actually causes the fire to be worse because it activates the chemicals more which causes evacuations, shutdown of highways,” White said. “People have to leave their homes for days at a time. What really concerns us out here is our cattle, where will they go…”

Residents have hope and are making their case to their county commissioners, judges and state representatives.

“The biggest thing for us to work with our representative and our senator to work on legislation purely, very simply gives rural counties, the same voice that the larger counties have so if we don’t want something like this out here we can say no.” Dunagan said.