Considering battery storage on Fresno County land?

Start with the proposed footprint, not the size of the whole property

Ask the company for a map showing the battery enclosure, access roads, cable route, drainage work and temporary construction areas. Mark the parts of the property you need to keep using. The area inside a battery fence may be only part of the land the project needs.

Fresno County’s October 2024 Key Energy Storage decision describes a battery facility on about 260 acres within three parcels totaling 318 acres, southwest of Huron. It also identifies a new transmission line to PG&E’s Gates Substation. Those are details of that approved proposal, not a minimum acreage requirement for Fresno County land.

For your property, ask whether the proposal is a standalone storage facility, a battery added to another project, or equipment serving an existing business. Have the team identify the authority responsible for the actual location and design. A Fresno County mailing address does not by itself settle that question.

If a company asks to reserve the entire parcel, ask why. Would the extra land be used for a later phase, construction access or a connection route? Put each area and its intended use on the map before discussing a payment based only on the fenced battery area.

Reference: Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063

Read the decision and conditions together

The county’s case log identifies Key’s October 10, 2024 hearing under four conditional use permits: 3734, 3802, 3803 and 3804. Resolution 13063 records approval subject to Exhibit B. The exhibit matters because it explains work and obligations that accompany the approval.

For an offer involving your property, request the actual decision, its attachments and any later changes. Check the parcel numbers and plan against the land you are being asked to lease or sell. A summary saying “approved” leaves out what must happen before work can start.

Make a short list of outstanding items with the developer. For each one, ask who prepares the document, who pays, who accepts it and whether it must be completed before a development permit, construction or operation. Ask for the document showing completion when the team says an item has been satisfied.

Keep your own agreement beside that list. If an approval requires a changed layout or additional rights, does the developer need your consent? Would the change affect payments or land you retain? Decide how changes are handled before they become urgent.

Reference: Fresno County: Planning Commission case log · Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063

Check agricultural contracts before promising a change of use

One condition in the Key decision requires a particular parcel to be removed from the Williamson Act Program through contract cancellation before development permits are issued. The condition identifies that parcel; it does not say every Fresno County battery site needs cancellation.

If your land has an agricultural contract, ask your adviser and the project team to establish its current status and how the proposed use would be reviewed. Give them the actual contract and parcel records. Do not rely only on the project next door or a developer’s description of the process.

A requirement to obtain cancellation is different from a completed cancellation. Ask for the later decision or record that the team relies on, including any conditions still outstanding. This guide does not establish that Key’s cancellation occurred or that a similar request for your property would be granted.

Discuss who handles the process and its costs before signing a land agreement. What happens if the required result is delayed, denied or changes the usable area? Can the team continue reserving the land, and what payment or release is due? Have those answers written into the terms you review.

Reference: Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063

Protect the farm operations that will remain

Key’s approval requires a recorded Right-to-Farm Notice addressing adjacent agricultural operations. Read any notice or condition proposed for your land with your adviser. Ask what it means for the project and for neighboring farm activity.

Show the team your existing field entrances, irrigation facilities, wells, delivery routes and areas used by tenants. A road that looks unused on a map may be needed during harvest. Ask how construction, fencing and maintenance vehicles would affect those uses.

The project notes also require utility-location work before construction. For your property, ask who identifies buried lines and facilities before investigation or grading, and who repairs damage. Include irrigation and water facilities in that discussion, alongside electric and communication lines.

Describe the uses you intend to retain during the option period and after construction. If a lease would remove an access route or divide a field, ask to see an alternative layout. The agreement should make the developer’s rights and your continuing uses understandable.

Reference: Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063

Separate the battery site from the connection work

The Key decision identifies a transmission route to Gates Substation. The June 2024 final environmental record also describes PG&E work at Gates and at Midway Substation in Kern County. A project’s electric connection can involve work well away from the land occupied by batteries.

Ask where the proposed line would run from your site. Does the route stay on your property, cross a neighbor’s land or use an existing corridor? Who obtains the rights, and which company would own or maintain the line? Ask for a map rather than a general assurance that the substation is nearby.

For work on land you retain, discuss access width, construction hours, gates, repairs and future maintenance. For work elsewhere, ask who is responsible and whether a delay can hold up the project on your property. Being close to Gates or another substation does not establish available connection capacity.

Then ask how a connection delay affects the private agreement. Does the option continue automatically? Is another payment due? When can you recover the reserved area? Utility studies and off-site work do not, by themselves, answer when your rent starts.

Reference: Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063 · California CEQAnet: Key Energy Storage final environmental record, June 2024

Compare the approval deadline with the land agreement

Resolution 13063 says this project’s approval expires two years after approval unless a determination is made that substantial development has occurred. It also describes a possible extension, requested before expiration. Those are terms of this dated decision; current status requires the later county record.

If a developer relies on an approval, ask for the applicable deadline and the document supporting its current status. Has the authority made the required determination or granted an extension? A construction schedule or a company’s description of progress is not the same document.

Read the option, lease or purchase agreement separately. An approval deadline does not tell you how long the company can reserve your property. Ask whether renewal is optional or automatic, what notice is required, and what the company pays while the land remains tied up.

If construction is planned in phases, identify the land and payments for each phase. Would the first phase start rent on the whole reserved area or only part of it? When is unused land released? Ask for a clear answer about later construction access and any further rights the team may request.

Reference: Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063

Find out who funds removal and what can remain

Before grading or development permits, Key’s conditions require a county reclamation agreement and financial assurance for removal and restoration. The amount is tied to an approved design and cost estimate, with annual increases described in the condition. This is a project-specific requirement, not a quoted bond amount for your land.

Ask the developer what restoration plan and funding would apply to the proposed site. Who holds the security, who can use it, and how is it kept current? Request the actual documents. A statement that the county requires restoration does not explain all the rights you would have under your lease.

The Key condition allows the cost estimate to consider certain components left for a subsequent owner’s benefit when they directly support returning the land to viable agricultural use. For your property, identify anything you might want to keep, such as a usable road, and anything you want removed.

Discuss foundations, cables, buildings, drainage and soil condition specifically. Ask who checks the completed work and what happens if the operator fails or transfers the project. Have your adviser compare the public reclamation obligations with your private removal, repair and enforcement terms.

Reference: Fresno County: October 10, 2024 Key Energy Storage decision and conditions, Resolution 13063

Send the location and tell us what matters to you

Start with your contact details and the Fresno County property location. Acreage and parcel number are optional. If you know the agricultural contract status, utility provider or nearest substation, mention it; you can make an inquiry without completing that research first.

Tell us which land you could consider and what you need to keep using. Include farm operations, tenants, access, water facilities and plans for the remaining property. Say whether you would consider a lease, a sale or a limited portion of the site.

If a company has already contacted you, describe where the discussion stands and any deadline. An unsigned proposal, an active option and an approved project are different starting points. Mention an existing agreement so it can be considered before discussing new rights.

Sunland may follow up for a map or more details. Sending the inquiry does not grant site access, commit you to a deal or establish project suitability. The next conversation should address your land and the proposal you could actually consider.