Environmental Permitting Associate - Battery Storage

Company Overview 

Plus Power is an energy storage market leader with a market-leading 10+ GW portfolio across more than 25 US states and Canadian provinces that will transform North American electric grids into cleaner and more versatile critical infrastructure.  

Standalone energy storage is rapidly transforming the U.S. energy markets, because it is cheaper than new natural gas plants, faster to build than fossil peakers or transmission, and able to perform diverse energy services. Plus Power partners with electricity system operators, utilities, and investors to originate, develop, finance, own and operate standalone energy storage projects that provide critical services to the wholesale electric market. Plus Power’s team applies an intentional mindset to energy storage development by using a data-driven approach to development. 

At Plus Power, we are focused on solving hard climate problems, profitably.  We are growing fast, and value candidates who, like us, share a focus on setting high expectations, owning and learning from mistakes in the spirit of radical transparency, and are committed to internal partnering as a key element of our ideas meritocracy. Our team praises Plus Power’s culture and excels through our game-changing mission and supportive ecosystem. 

 

About the Role 

Plus Power recruits outstanding energy industry professionals who are driven to develop, build and operate assets safely and reliably to decarbonize the power markets while growing their careers. Our team looks for data-driven and fact-based mindsets, engaging and collaborative behaviors, and personal growth-focused professionals.     

In order for the global energy system to make the transition from a carbon-based grid, to a renewable energy grid, large scale energy storage must be introduced into the electricity system to balance intra-hour supply and demand.  Energy storage is the enabler of high penetration variable renewable generation like solar and wind. 

Plus Power is looking to hire an experienced Environmental Permitting Associate within the Development Services Team to manage permitting and environmental permitting activities for multiple battery energy storage projects across our portfolio. The Environmental Permitting Associate will report to the Permitting Manager and lead all aspects of project permitting from inception to commercial operation. 

 

Responsibilities 

• Develop and execute permitting strategies specific to the project in collaboration with the Director of Permitting, Permitting Manager, and Development Team. 
• Manage environmental and land-use permitting processes specific to multiple ongoing projects across multiple states, from conception through development, including: 
• Research Federal, State and Local permitting and environmental regulations and draft detailed zoning analyses/permitting plan for prospective sites; 
• Work with technical staff and project developers to ensure project designs are consistent with permitting requirements and constraints; 
• Work with consultants, contractors, and developers to develop creative solutions to complicated environmental permitting issues 
• Manage permitting consultants, budgets, and schedules for multiple projects simultaneously; 
• Develop and maintain relationships with federal and state regulatory agencies; 
• Prepare and submit permit applications to governmental agencies; represent Plus Power’s position in public forums and meetings; coordinate with external subject matter experts, prepare hearing testimony outlines; 
• Review/revise environmental reports (i.e., wetlands delineations, Phase I ESAs, Phase I cultural resource surveys, T&E Species Reports); 
• Review/revise public hearing submission items (i.e., noise studies, notice documents, visual renderings, etc.); 
• Negotiate with regulatory agencies to achieve acceptable operating permit conditions consistent with project schedules, costs, and environmental sustainability objectives; 
• Support project planning and scheduling in support of project development team; 
• Analyze or assess regulatory policy implications to siting and permitting; 
• Manage responses to permitting agency information and/or data requests; and 
• Represent our projects at stakeholder meetings and hearings. 

  

Qualifications  

• 2-5+ years of experience obtaining required permitting/siting/zoning/land use/environmental approvals for large scale/complex real estate development;  
• Bachelor’s Degree in engineering or environmental/urban planning related discipline preferred; 
• Experience obtaining permits for utility companies, renewable energy companies, telecommunications companies or industrial/comm