A group of residents in south Fulton County are gearing up for a legal battle to stop plans for a battery energy storage plant that they fear could catch fire.
Mose James IV, Paul Loveless and Tiffany Patterson have started a GoFundMe campaign to pay attorney fees in efforts to block a lithium-ion battery energy storage plant that would be built in the city of South Fulton.
NextEra Energy Resources plans to build the $400 million facility. The project was scheduled to be complete and open by December 2025, but company spokeswoman Sara Cassidy said that construction is now a “multi-year process.”
The GoFundMe campaign has raised $6,100 toward a $10,000 goal.
“It’s sad,” James said.
He believes NextEra figured residents would not push back on the project when the company chose the quiet and quaint community of retirees and longtime residents.
“We’re all having to figure out a lot of things like zoning and policy and looking at the charter,” James said. “At some point it takes… money [for an attorney] who really knows what their doing…”
The complete conversation with James is available on YouTube.
In a statement, Cassidy said the project is “in early development stages” and NextEra plans to “take meaningful action to engage with community members and decision-makers.
“At NextEra Energy Resources, we believe in building strong relationships and making a difference in local communities,” Cassidy said. “Through our projects, we strive to contribute to a sustainable future while creating jobs, economic growth and tax revenue that goes directly to supporting local schools, infrastructure and programs.”
The facility will be located off Welcome All Road in College Park. It’s currently an undeveloped site and borders the city of South Fulton on three sides. South Fulton residents worry about the possibility of fires and explosions at the facility.
“This facility is dangerous,” Loveless said. “Lithium-ion batteries are extremely dangerous because of a process called thermal runaway that can cause explosions and the releasing of gases.”
Loveless, 77, has lived in his South Fulton home for more than 40 years.
Several fires have taken place at battery energy storage plants across the U.S. over the past year. Earlier this month in Escondido, Calif., a fire burned for 13 hours. In May, a fire burned for five days at a facility in San Diego, Calif.
College Park city council approved rezoning for the local project in March without public notice or a public hearing. Residents have filed complaints with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, citing a violation of the Open Meetings Act.
Before the rezoning was approved, NextEra agreed to pay College Park $1.6 million. Mayor Bianca Motley Broom, who did not vote on the rezoning or funds, has said the payment was improper, and she believes that council violated zoning laws by excluding the public from the process.
South Fulton residents had previously succeeded in convincing city council to deny the rezoning in 2021 as well as last summer.
College Park Councilman Roderick Gay has said that while council members did not vote in approval of the rezoning in 2023, there was no subsequent vote to deny the measure. Because of that, the rezoning was presented at the March 2024 meeting as a renewed motion, and a public hearing and public notice were not required.
College Park spokesman Bill Crane said that the city is not happy about GoFundMe campaigns that would oppose city council decisions, but residents are exercising their First Amendment right to protest.
“We’re not encouraging [the GoFundMe campaign] and certainly not glad they’re doing it, but there’s nothing the city would do to prevent it,” Crane said.
Very proud of my fellow residents who are looking out for the safety of our community! Is it too late to get a petition signed to prevent this dangerous structure from being built?