BY STEFANIE BOWMANN, Eastern Shore Post —
An Arizona-based developer and a global battery supplier held an informational meeting in Exmore on Monday, Nov. 18, to address concerns about a 10-megawatt battery energy storage system that they plan to build in town.
Battery company Great Power is partnering with developer Patterson Enterprises to establish an energy storage facility in Exmore with enough capacity to power 600 homes for 40 hours straight, said Harold Patterson, chief executive officer of Patterson Enterprises.
They also want to build the storage facilities all over the Eastern Shore.
The Eastern Shore’s power is supplied by an electrical grid that serves 13 states and is operated by PJM Interconnection.
PJM recently participated in an annual power market auction and secured more than 135,000 megawatts of electricity for the grid for the period beginning June 1, 2025, and ending May 31, 2026.
However, due to increased demand for electricity and dwindling supply, prices this year were about 10 times higher than last year.
Electric company customers on the Shore can expect “inevitable” rate hikes next year — unless capacity supply can be increased, according to Monday night’s report.
That’s where Great Power and Patterson Enterprises want to step in.
They have proposed a battery energy storage system in Exmore near A&N Electric Cooperative’s substation. The system will have a footprint of one-quarter acre.
Through a process called “energy arbitrage,” electricity would be purchased and stored in batteries when supply is abundant and inexpensive, to be sold and resupplied to the grid during peak demand.
This would result in lower electricity costs for consumers, Patterson said.
But the scope of the project extends beyond the town of Exmore. Great Power and Patterson Enterprises want to cover the entire Eastern Shore with battery energy storage systems at all of ANEC’s substations.
To date, they have begun the process in Tasley and Oak Hall in addition to Exmore.
There are at least three other Eastern Shore substations where battery energy storage systems will be proposed in the future, Patterson said.
He said his company has been working with Accomack County and he expects to have a permit for the Tasley battery energy storage system in about one month.
The proposed battery energy storage system in Oak Hall is still in discussion, but Patterson believes the project will be successful, he said.
Patterson and his business associates, including Evan Bierman, president of Great Power, were on hand Monday night to address citizens’ concerns, such as the possibility of a battery fire or explosion.
Bierman noted that Great Power produces all LiFePO4 or lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Great Power batteries do not contain rare-earth metals or toxic or chemically reactive elements, he said.
Great Power has produced 800,000 battery sets around the world, providing a combined 25 gigawatt hours of power, and none of the batteries has ever caught fire, Bierman said.
The battery energy storage systems also would be surrounded by acoustic fencing that can reduce sound by 85%, Patterson said.
The town of Exmore would benefit financially from the battery energy storage system, including a one-time siting fee of $200,000.
As allowed by Virginia Code, the town also may adopt an ordinance to receive a revenue share from the battery energy storage system — $1,400 per megawatt, a total of $14,000 annually.
The project also would generate tax revenue for Exmore, including real estate and business license taxes.
The informal meeting held Monday night was for informational purposes for residents. The Exmore Town Council has not yet approved the project.
