WHEATLAND — A Wheatland resident who challenged Robin Energy Storage representatives to come to her community and see her concerns firsthand was turned down. So we took her up on the offer instead.
Kathy Denko walked us through the heart of Wheatland — to the site where Robin Energy Storage wants to build a 200-megawatt lithium-ion battery energy storage facility — nearby from businesses, a subdivision, a historic town center, and a grade school.
"This is a very densely populated area with businesses, schools, a subdivision, a historic town right here — it is not the proper place for a project of this mgnitude right in the heart of our township," Denko said. "The contamination factors, there's no guarantees of explosions, air contamination, water contamination, it's very sad."
WATCH: Kenosha County votes to pause a battery storage facility project, but Robin Energy Storage is not backing down.
On Tuesday night — the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a one-year moratorium on the approval of new battery energy storage systems in the county. County Executive Samantha Kerkman specifically requested the moratorium — citing mounting public health and safety concerns from residents. The resolution specifically cites potential health and safety issues including toxic gases, fire hazards, and impacts on air and water quality.
But Robin Energy Storage is not backing down. The company sent a letter to the county board the night of the vote — saying they were not notified of the resolution until that same day — and asking the board to decline action. The board voted anyway.
Director of Project Development Jan Porvaznik told TMJ4 News the company is evaluating other options — including going directly to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission — a state level body whose approval could potentially override the county moratorium entirely.
"We are evaluating other paths to move forward with the project — including the state process that is available to us," Porvaznik said.
That means for Wheatland residents like Kathy Denko — the fight may be far from over.
TMJ4 News will continue to follow this story as it develops.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
