Reno Approves 200MW Trego Grid BESS Permit in Washoe County

Key Facts

What Is Being Built

Trego Grid plans a one-acre equipment yard, approximately 360 square meters of control building for remote monitoring, seven fire hydrants, and dedicated fire access roads. The full 120 kV interconnection ties into the Mira Loma substation, which sits on the same parcel. The project requires a boundary line adjustment to delineate the 25.2-acre battery site from the larger 60.49-acre combined parcel, and the LLC is simultaneously seeking city annexation of a 53.5-acre area around Talus Valley. Trego Grid, LLC is managed by Aaron Zubaty, founder and CEO of independent power producer Eolian Energy; Peter Blum, Eolian’s CCO; and Stephanie Smith, former COO of Eolian. Eolian is also the developer behind the Padua Grid complex in Bexar County, Texas, where a 50 MW/100 MWh first phase came online in late 2025.

Why It Matters

Reno and northern Nevada are absorbing some of the fastest data center growth in the US, driven by NV Energy’s expanding grid and available land. NV Energy has also announced plans to participate in CAISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Market around 2026-2027, which makes grid-scale storage more valuable for absorbing and dispatching power across Western interconnection boundaries. A 200 MW battery at the Mira Loma substation would sit directly in the path of that market integration.

Critical Perspective

The planning commission recommendation is not final approval. Trego Grid still needs Reno City Council action on annexation before a building permit can be issued. Under the terms of the CUP, the LLC must file a building permit application within 18 months of the CUP approval date — or the permit lapses. No power purchase agreement or offtake contract has been disclosed. The project’s connection to Eolian’s broader portfolio raises a question about whether Trego Grid is developing an independent merchant project or a vehicle for Eolian’s NV Energy pipeline.

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