Planning panel grills SWAN Cygnet developers over safety, decommissioning and community benefits

Commissioners spent the bulk of the meeting on a continuation of the SWAN Cygnet battery energy storage proposal — a multi-phase project proposed for a former golf-course site that, if approved, would include a 100-acre community component and two tranches of battery enclosures. Staff framed the review as three parallel tracks: site plan, special land use review and battery-energy-ordinance compliance. Staff noted state law (Public Act 233) restricts some local controls but that the township’s December 2025 ordinance establishes higher local standards and community-host payments.

Developers and technical staff addressed a broad range of concerns. James Singston and engineers described sealed enclosures, closed-loop cooling systems, NFPA guidance, emergency-response coordination with the Comstock Fire Department, modeled noise mitigation (14-foot sound walls on three sides), stormwater infiltration design, and a decommissioning cost estimate. The applicant said the current decommissioning estimate is about $22.5 million and that the decommissioning bond would be posted at 125% (roughly $28 million). The applicant also described proposed community host payments and tax benefits and said two LLCs are operating under a common parent for regulatory and phasing reasons; counsel and staff agreed to provide written evidence of ownership structure for the commission to consider.

Public comment was split. Union and technical supporters described battery systems as safe and important for renewable integration — "This is not something that we're worried about" said Jonathan Currant, the business manager for Electrical Workers Local 131 — while many residents urged caution, questioned long-term liability and decommissioning mechanisms, and asked how host payments and the promised 100 acres would be governed and used by the township. Commissioners requested additional materials for the September 10 meeting including the fire chief's review, the township assessor’s input, the applicant's memorandum of understanding on the 100-acre parcel, a formal decommissioning agreement, and clarification on the form of financial assurance (trust, bond, letter of credit or a mix).