DELIVERING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF RESILIENCE, RELIABILITY, AND SECURITY FOR THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITY IN KANSAS.

THE SAME VALUES THAT HAVE MADE HALSTEAD UNIQUE AS A COMMUNITY PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PROPOSED TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ENERGY STORAGE PROJECT.

 

 

 

 

 

Sample view of a typical grid-scale battery

 

 

 

 

 

RESILIENCY:

Like the state’s beloved Tallgrass Prairie standing upright no matter what extreme weather Mother Nature brings, standalone energy storage systems are used to provide energy resiliency to communities like Halstead when it’s needed most. Tallgrass Prairie Energy Storage’s proposed capacity of 140MW/280MWh can power approximately 28,000 homes for up to two hours and is dispatchable in a matter of seconds.

RELIABILITY:

Like the Halstead community, where neighbors count on each other no matter what, standalone energy storage systems provide an immediate reliable power source, which means the organizations who run the electric grid can more efficiently balance out the energy supply and demand when its most needed, like in the evenings when renewable generation like solar falls off, but demand for electricity is still high. That reliability helps keep the overall price of power at lower rates.

SECURITY:

Energy security is also important to minimize the need to import power and source electricity as locally as possible. It’s equally important that Halstead’s residents feel safe and secure, regardless of where they live in the community. The proposed location of the Tallgrass Prairie Energy Storage Project is ideally located in a safe and secure 11-acre parcel inside the Halstead Industrial Park.

Security and safety are the most important aspects when it comes to operating a stand-alone battery storage project, which is why the proposed site must adhere to strict national fire safety standards (see those standards below) and all local fire prevention organizations and entities are in the process of receiving extensive training on not only fire prevention, but how to safely and efficiently mitigate any threat, in the rare case of a fire occurring.

We also want to help the city of Halstead plan for a clean energy future. Protecting Halstead’s clean air, water and soil for future generations is as important as providing clean and sustainable energy, and in fact, the two go hand in hand. The Tallgrass Prairie Energy Storage project will have the ability to deliver power even when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining — allowing other clean energy sources that have been built across the state to operate more efficiently.

BENEFITS TO THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITY:

Finally, the Tallgrass Prairie Energy Storage project will give back to the community of Halstead in several ways:

1) By providing a significant source of tax revenue that can be used to help pay for critical infrastructure investment

2) By attracting other industrial or commercial development opportunities to the area

3) By providing local jobs and increased spending in the surrounding community during construction

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-engineering 3D rendering of storage project on proposed industrial park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAQ’s

Why is the project located in the Halstead Industrial Park? The City began marketing an 11-acre parcel for industrial projects years ago and Concurrent heard about its availability in 2023. The land tract sat undeveloped for nearly a century, eventually becoming surrounded by other industrial facilities, and is located directly adjacent to an Evergy substation. Collectively, these characteristics make the 11-acre land tract in the Halstead Industrial Park a great fit for a safe and secured, energy storage facility.
What does the Halstead community gain from hosting this project?

Some of the benefits to the Halstead community include monthly land lease payments to the City of Halstead, temporary construction jobs and the secondary spending at local hotels, restaurants, stores and gas stations, and increased electrical grid resiliency and reliability. *

However, the benefit with the most impact comes in the form of potential tax revenues for the City of Halstead (as well as the county and school districts). As of 2024, the cost to develop and build a 140MW battery energy storage facility* (the likely size of this project) is estimated to be in the range of $80 – $140 million. And, it is this cost of development and construction that would make up the value of taxable personal property.
What will the battery energy storage system look like?

 

A battery energy storage system is often compared aesthetically to rows of shipping containers complemented by standard electrical substation equipment (ie. Transformers, utility poles, etc.). A rendering of the planned project in the Halstead Industrial Park has been generated and can be viewed just above this section.

The batteries themselves are housed in separate compartments within the larger containers, fully encased and not visible externally. Each container typically sits on a concrete pad.

Additionally, depending on guidance from the City of Halstead, there may be visual barriers such as landscaping and fencing added to the site plan in the future. However, visual barrier requirements for this project will have no impact on the other industrial buildings and the Evergy substation that are already quite visible to the community.
How loud are battery energy storage systems

 

 In September 2024 the City of Halstead proposed a limit on the sound impact of battery energy storage projects. The requirement proposed was to limit sound impact to 75dBa at 100 feet from the property line. Based on initial discussions with sound impact and acoustic engineers Concurrent anticipates that the project will be able to comply with this requirement – as the sound levels heard at 100 feet from responsibly built battery storage projects compare to the sound of your refrigerator heard when sitting at your kitchen table.
How safe are battery energy storage systems?

 

 Fire safety and prevention is our number one priority. The project will be developed and installed according to the most advanced, national standards under NFPA 855, the energy storage system installation standard governed by the National Fire Protection Association. The current version of NFPA 855 can be found here. Current commercial battery storage technology utilizes cooling systems and fire prevention and mitigation measures, built first and foremost to prevent fires, but also to fail safely, with no harm to humans. All local fire personnel and first responders will receive extensive fire response training, (paid for by the project developers) so they will be fully ready and properly prepared in case of an unlikely fire incident.
What is a decommissioning bond?

 

 The purpose of this bond is to ensure a scenario does not occur where a project owner abandons an energy storage facility and leaves the city of Halstead responsible for decommissioning of the project. A decommissioning bond requirement was proposed by the City of Halstead in September 2024 as part of a new zoning amendment and Concurrent fully supports this requirement. The bond would be funded before operations and require updated funding levels every five years to keep pace with inflation.
  *A 140 MW battery energy storage project would provide enough stored energy to power approximately 28,000 homes during a 2-hour period when other energy sources are unavailable or more costly at that time of day or night.