Energy storage facility, $300M investment coming to Phipps Bend

SURGOINSVILLE — A battery energy storage system, or BESS, facility is coming to Hawkins County's Phipps Bend Industrial Park. Bobwhite Energy Storage signed a 20-year agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority for the project. Bobwhite is an affiliate of the Nebraska-based energy company Tenaska, who issued a press release. The release said the BESS will help strengthen grid reliability, manage peak demand and keep power affordable. The project's website — bobwhiteenergystorage.com — says these facilities store excess electricity from the grid to deploy when needed. The Bobwhite site is expected to start construction in 2027 — creating 75 jobs during its peak — and come online in late 2029. It represents an estimated $300 million investment into the local economy, the release said. Hawkins County Industrial Development Board Chair Patrick Lund said, at an October board meeting, the project may bring the county $1 million a year, over 20 years, in taxes. The HCIDB's executive administrative coordinator, Rebecca Baker, thanked Tenaska and the TVA for their investment in Hawkins County in a statement to the press. "This project represents a meaningful step forward for our community and reflects the strength of collaboration between public and private partners," Baker said. "We value this relationship and look forward to our continued partnership in supporting growth and opportunity in our region. We wish Tenaska many successful years ahead in Hawkins County." According to the Bobwhite project website, BESS facilities are quiet when operating — with no moving parts and a muffled enclosure — and does not emit toxic odors or air pollution.