Battery storage land with Rappahannock Electric service

Start by identifying the proposal

Check the electric utility on the property’s bill. If there is no service account, provide the location and ask the project team to confirm the serving company. A nearby REC facility does not establish that a proposed battery can connect there.

Ask whether the company proposes equipment serving an existing business, a separate battery site or work associated with a utility project. Request an ordinary explanation of how electricity would reach the battery, where it would go when discharged and whose meter or connection it would use.

Identify the company making the offer and the company that would sign it. If the developer mentions REC, ask what role it says the cooperative would have. Utility review, equipment purchasing, an electricity agreement and a land lease are different arrangements.

Send your location and what you know about the proposal before trying to resolve every technical question. You do not need an engineering drawing to start an inquiry. The next steps should establish the actual project and rights being requested.

Read the substation solicitation within its scope

REC’s published solicitation describes procurement and installation of two battery systems at selected substation locations. When checked October 6, 2026, its timeline marked proposal submission and several earlier stages closed. It listed finalist interviews for October 5–9 and an award announcement planned for October 30, with the schedule subject to change.

That public information does not establish an open request for new land or a completed award. If a developer cites this solicitation while asking you to reserve property, ask how the proposed land rights relate to the selected site and what it has actually been authorized to do.

Request the specific record behind any claim of selection or a utility commitment. Is the company a bidder, a finalist or a party with an executed agreement? A scheduled interview is different from an award, and a planned award date is different from a signed contract.

Keep the company’s procurement plans separate from what it owes you. If its offer depends on an award, ask what payment is due during that wait, whether the option can be extended and how the property is released if the company is not selected.

Reference: Rappahannock Electric: battery solicitation and published timeline

Grid resilience does not promise backup at your property

REC’s business page describes storage for resilience and managing wholesale costs. The substation solicitation also describes peak-demand and outage-support purposes. Those public goals do not establish how a different proposed installation would serve your buildings.

If an offer includes backup power for a business, ask which circuits and equipment would be supported. What happens during an outage? Who designed that arrangement, what review is needed and which loads would still be unavailable? Have the project team explain the answer without relying on a general statement about a stronger grid.

If the battery is a separate site serving the grid, ask whether any private supply benefit is part of your offer at all. A land payment and a backup-power arrangement should each have clear terms rather than being bundled into a vague promise of reliability.

Discuss construction interruptions to existing service separately. Identify pumps, refrigeration, livestock equipment or tenant operations that need advance planning. Ask who coordinates outages and notice before work on shared service or access begins.

Reference: Rappahannock Electric: business renewable energy and battery storage · Rappahannock Electric: battery solicitation and published timeline

Ask how a business battery uses the account and property

REC’s renewable-energy page offers assistance to businesses with storage needs. It does not replace a project-specific design or establish terms for a standalone ground lease.

If a tenant pays the electric bill, identify the tenant’s role before allowing equipment intended to affect that account. Ask who owns the battery, who operates it, who pays electricity charges and who receives any bill savings or other revenue.

Discuss what happens when the tenant leaves or the business changes. Can the project operate as intended without that customer? Would it need a new account, equipment changes or a different agreement? Ask your adviser to review responsibilities before a change occurs.

Keep private account information out of the initial property inquiry. Start with contact details, location and the existing use. If later review needs account records, clarify who needs them and why; a land inquiry does not require sharing account passwords.

Reference: Rappahannock Electric: business renewable energy and battery storage

Put the connection route beside the land offer

Ask for a drawing showing equipment, the intended connection point, roads, cables and temporary work areas. Mark entrances, fields, drainage features and future uses you want to retain. The battery pad may be only part of the requested rights.

If a company proposes connection at a selected substation, ask whether it needs rights between that facility and your land. Who controls the route? Does it cross another parcel? Identify which company must obtain permissions before giving broad access over your property.

Request the scope and date of any connection response. Did it concern the actual location and operating plan, or a different design? Ask who pays for studies and changes if the first route does not work. An existing service account is not a response to a new project design.

Compare unresolved work with the option period and extension rights. You should understand the next decision and what happens if the company cannot proceed. Ask how recorded documents and unused access rights are released when the proposal ends.

Ask who remains responsible after construction

Identify who maintains equipment and roads, repairs damage and coordinates emergencies. If the site is sold or another operator takes over, ask how you learn about the change and which obligations continue.

Discuss removal and restoration when the project ends, as well as unfinished work if it never operates. Have your adviser review the responsible company and any proposed security for those obligations. A utility’s stated purpose does not settle your private restoration terms.

Keep local approvals separate from connection and procurement. Ask the company to list what still needs review for the actual parcel and layout. A selected vendor or utility project announcement is not the complete approval package for your property.

Tell us about your land

Use the form to share your name, email and phone number, then the property location. Mention REC if it serves the site, the current use and whether a tenant or existing project has rights there.

Tell us whether you would consider a lease, sale or either. If someone has approached you, describe the proposed use and the claims you want to understand. Acreage and parcel numbers are optional.

An inquiry starts a discussion about the land and your goals. It does not submit a procurement bid, reserve capacity, enroll you in a utility program or commit the property.