What was originally meant to be a series of informal lunches for Ian Evans, hired to represent Grenergy and their proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Patterson, became a larger, more community oriented question and answer session last Friday. The meeting began with a prayer and quickly got down to business. Evans found himself once more fielding questions from Pierce residents, only this time it was from over 30 Patterson residents and Pierce Industrial Development and Building Authority Executive Director Blake James and Pierce Fire Chief Chris Todd. Evans seemed pleased by the crowd and said so. “What would usually be just a lunch turned into a large gathering, so I’m glad so many people are interested and turned out.” If Evans was nervous or concerned that many, if not all of those present were opposed to the proposed BESS facility, he did not show it outwardly. He said more than once he did not expect to change any hearts and minds at the gathering. His stated purpose was solely to provide information and dispel inaccuracies about the BESS project. Repeating a recent point made by Ellen Smith, who attended the Tax Assessor Board meeting in his place, Evans clarified Grenergy would not be buying electricity and selling it back to any utility companies. “That is in unregulated energy markets like Texas,” said Evans. “Georgia is a regulated market.” Essentially, Grenergy would lease the proposed facility to a utility provider, allowing them to capture unused…
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