Battery storage on your Erie County land? Ask who builds what.

The connection paperwork can divide the construction

PJM’s published Erie East Energy construction agreement identifies a facility in North East Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Its scope assigns some connection facilities to the transmission owner and others to the project company. The document is an example of divided responsibilities; it does not establish current construction or spare capacity for another site.

Ask your developer for the same breakdown in everyday language. Which work is on the proposed battery site? Which work is at a substation or along a connecting route? Who designs, builds and owns each part?

A statement that the utility is handling the connection may leave important work with the developer. Ask which parts must be finished before the project can use the connection, and who is coordinating those dependencies.

You do not need to interpret electrical drawings yourself. Request a marked plan and a short explanation of the work that affects your land, including any area needed temporarily.

Reference: PJM: Erie East Energy construction service agreement AE2-299, effective August 16, 2023

A planned start is different from work actually beginning

The Erie East agreement’s Schedule J ties commencement of connection work to both full execution and a construction kickoff call. It also lists separate completion milestones for the transmission owner and the customer. Those are provisions in the published agreement, not evidence that the events or work have occurred.

If a company tells you construction starts soon, ask what has already happened and what still must happen. Request the current schedule rather than relying on a date in an older document.

Then compare that schedule with your agreement. What event begins the lease term or the higher payment: entry onto your land, battery construction, connection work elsewhere, or operation? Have your adviser check the wording against what the company has described.

For example, you may lose use of a field while a connection job is still waiting to start. Ask what you receive during that period and what happens if the company needs more time. A grid milestone alone does not answer your private payment question.

Reference: PJM: Erie East Energy construction service agreement AE2-299, effective August 16, 2023

Map connection rights separately from the battery area

The published agreement separates the customer’s connecting equipment from transmission-owner equipment. For your proposal, ask the team to identify where responsibility changes and whether that point requires any additional land rights.

A cable route, poles, a service entrance or maintenance access can affect land outside the fenced battery area. Mark those rights on the drawing used for your agreement, along with the land that remains yours to use.

Discuss how construction crews would reach each work area. If two parties use the same entrance, who schedules deliveries, repairs damage and keeps your access open? Obtain an answer that covers both sets of work.

Also ask which rights end after construction. Temporary staging should have a defined release and restoration arrangement. Permanent access should show its boundaries and permitted purposes, rather than being described simply as access to the project.

Reference: PJM: Erie East Energy construction service agreement AE2-299, effective August 16, 2023

Find the actual local review route

Erie County’s planning department distinguishes municipalities with their own subdivision and land-development regulations from those using the county ordinance. Its current guidance lists North East Township and North East Borough separately among the municipalities with local regulations.

Confirm which municipality contains your parcel. This guide concerns Erie County, Pennsylvania; it does not concern Erie County, New York. A mailing address or a nearby substation does not establish the reviewing authority.

Ask the municipality how it classifies the proposed batteries and which applications, decisions and plans are required. Ask the county whether it reviews the plan or gives approval under the applicable route. Those roles should be clear before the company treats a county submission as a final decision.

If the design includes solar or a data center, describe the complete proposal. The county’s planning page labels its data-center model ordinance as a draft. A model or another project’s connection agreement is not a substitute for the requirements that apply to your property.

Reference: Erie County: municipal and county land-development review routes

Keep the unfinished work visible when terms change

Before extending an option, ask for a short list of unfinished tasks, the party responsible for each one and the reason for the additional time. Include land-use review, connection construction and any separate route rights.

Discuss how progress will be reported and what the next payment would be. If the developer depends on another party, ask how that affects the extension it is requesting from you.

If the project company changes, request the proposed transfer documents and current contact responsible for payments and repairs. Have your adviser check which obligations follow the project and whether anyone is being released.

Keep copies of the drawing, agreement and revisions together. A later construction schedule should be compared with your signed terms; it should not silently replace them.

Tell us about the property

Send your name, email and phone number, then the property location. Mention the municipality, present use and whether there is already an option, lease or project application. Erie County and Pennsylvania are selected in the form and can be corrected.

Acreage and a parcel number are optional at this first step. If you have a proposed drawing or a connection reference, mention it. We can use that information in further review without assuming an existing project makes another parcel suitable.