Chairman raises concerns as Alliant seeks to expand battery storage site

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors on May 19 heard concerns from Chairman Chris Vanness about a proposed expansion of a battery storage facility tied to Alliant Energy.

Vanness said Alliant originally told county officials it would not expand the site, but “now want[s] to expand it to 1.5 times the original size,” and that “truckloads of materials continue to be heavy.” He said he has provided information about the proposal to nearby landowners and to the Board of Adjustment.

The comment was made during general discussion; no formal action or vote on the facility or permits was recorded in the meeting minutes. The record shows the matter was presented as information for the board, and Vanness emphasized community notice — he told the board he had shared details with neighbors and the Board of Adjustment meeting.

The meeting record identifies Brandon Miller of Alliant Energy as having provided information earlier in the session about upcoming projects, but the minutes do not include statements from Alliant directly responding to Vanness’s account of the company’s earlier representations or describe a formal application revision in the county record. The board did not vote on the expansion during the session.

Because the item appeared as discussion only in the county minutes, next steps are not specified in the record; the Board of Adjustment and landowner notifications were the only procedural steps mentioned in the transcript.