WHEATLAND, Wis. — After encountering fierce local opposition and withdrawing its local applications, Robin Energy Storage LLC has now taken its controversial 200-megawatt battery storage project to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, seeking state approval for the massive facility proposed on agricultural land in the Town of Wheatland.
The Sept. 30 filing marks a major new chapter in a fight that has played out locally for months. Robin Energy previously withdrew its local applications after the Wheatland Plan Commission unanimously recommended against the project and residents packed public meetings to oppose it. Kenosha County currently has a 12-month moratorium on consideration of new battery energy storage permits and zoning approvals.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Now, rather than returning through the local zoning process, Robin Energy is pursuing approval at the state level — the very possibility Wheatland residents had previously warned about.
Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman confirmed the new filing Thursday and characterized the company’s move in unusually strong terms.
“I am disappointed that Robin Energy has decided to sidestep our countywide moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems by filing its application with the state,” Kerkman said. “I stand with the people of the Town of Wheatland and other Kenosha County residents in opposition to this project.” Wheatland Battery
Kerkman’s opposition is a reversal from her earlier posture surrounding the controversial proposal. She previously participated in discussions concerning the project, including a private meeting with Wheatland Town Chairman Jeff Butler, Fire Chief Louis Denko, attorneys and project representatives after the Wheatland Plan Commission had unanimously recommended denial.
Residents sharply criticized that meeting after Butler disclosed it, questioning why discussions with the developer and county executive were occurring after the Plan Commission’s unanimous recommendation.
Kerkman is now firmly and publicly on the other side.
“While we have not yet had the opportunity to review the application in detail, it is my understanding that the storage system is not going to supply new power to the residents of Kenosha County or otherwise impact power rates,” Kerkman said. “I don’t believe day trading of power ultimately addresses the need for additional power generation, and I hear and appreciate the concerns of residents in the area.” Wheatland Battery
The county’s official website confirms that the proposed Robin Energy project is a 200-megawatt battery energy storage facility in Wheatland and that the County Board voted May 19 to impose another 12-month moratorium on consideration of new BESS permits and zoning approvals. The Wheatland Town Board subsequently adopted a resolution asking state lawmakers to impose additional restrictions on battery storage systems.
The proposed project has generated substantial opposition over fire safety, emergency response capabilities, potential environmental impacts, groundwater, agricultural land use, evacuation planning and the long-term consequences of locating a large-scale battery facility in rural Wheatland.
Residents also previously complained that company representatives failed to adequately answer many of their questions during the local process. One resident who identified himself as a licensed professional engineer with decades of experience working on safety issues involving batteries questioned the project’s battery management system and said the lack of information made him “more than a little nervous.”
Robin Energy’s decision to seek state approval also gives new significance to warnings residents heard earlier in the process.
Butler previously acknowledged that after the Plan Commission’s unanimous recommendation against the project, he participated in a private meeting involving project representatives, attorneys, Denko and Kerkman. Butler later told residents there was a possibility the developer would go to the Public Service Commission and bypass the local process.
That possibility has now become reality: Robin Energy has submitted its project to the state.
The state filing does not mean the project has been approved. The Public Service Commission maintains a regulatory review process for energy-storage projects, and its proceedings can include opportunities for public participation. The PSC lists energy-storage-specific application filing requirements on its website.
Kenosha County Board Chairman Mark Nordigian and Supervisor Erin Decker also came out against Robin Energy’s state filing Thursday.
“We are disappointed that Robin Energy Storage has now submitted its application to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission seeking approval to move forward with its proposed battery energy storage facility in the Town of Wheatland,” the two said in a joint statement.
They specifically noted that Robin Energy’s state application came after the company withdrew its local applications following opposition at the local level. Wheatland Battery
Nordigian and Decker said residents have raised serious questions involving “fire safety, emergency response, environmental impacts, agricultural land use, and the long-term effects of placing a large-scale industrial energy facility in this location.”
“We stand with the people of Wheatland who have made their position clear,” they said, adding that they want the PSC to give meaningful consideration to the concerns of the town, residents and local officials. Wheatland Battery
The proposed location has another unusual connection to the controversy. The property is registered to the Catherine H. Kerkman Irrevocable Income Only Trust. KCE has been told that the property-owning trust has a direct blood relationship to Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman, although KCE has not independently verified the precise familial relationship through public records. Samantha Kerkman is Chad Kerkman’s ex-wife.
Kerkman’s newly announced opposition therefore becomes a secondary development in a larger story: After months of resistance at the town and county levels, Robin Energy has shifted its effort to Madison and is asking state regulators for permission to move forward with the 200-megawatt Wheatland battery project.
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Robin just dropped a deuce on Wheatland