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Board adopts technical‑study approach for battery storage after fires; rejects full moratorium
Summary
Supervisors directed county fire to continue technical studies and public review of battery energy storage system (BESS) safety standards, approved near‑term steps and ordered staff updates; a proposed moratorium on non‑containerized projects failed to pass, but a motion requiring continued technical reviews and return updates passed 4'1.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 11 voted to advance a technical‑study and code‑update approach to battery energy storage systems (BESS) after recent fires at regional facilities, and rejected a broad moratorium on new projects.
Staff presented a timeline and options for immediate action after three local incidents this year: a 2019 warehouse‑style Gateway Energy Storage fire that burned for 17 days, a 2023 Valley Center container incident and a Sept. 5 fire at an SDG&E‑operated Escondido facility. Planning and county fire staff described steps taken to require applicant technical studies and to engage a county‑hired fire protection engineering consultant to recommend revised fire code language.
The board considered urgency options including a temporary pause on all new BESS applications or a narrower 45‑day pause limited to non‑containerized facilities and facilities not meeting the 2023 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855 standard. After extensive public comment from residents, labor unions, energy developers and environmental groups, Vice Chair Tara Lawson Reimer moved, and Supervisor Joe Anderson seconded, a motion to approve staff recommendations 1'3 (strengthened technical review, continued stakeholder engagement and further analysis) and to reject the two moratorium options (recommendations 4 and 5). The motion passed by roll call, 4'1: Anderson, Montgomery Stepp, Lawson Reimer and Vargas voted yes; Supervisor Jim Desmond voted no.
The board's adopted direction requires continued technical studies prepared by licensed fire protection engineers and peer review by county fire. Staff will require those studies "at the earliest planning review stage" for all discretionary BESS projects and will make the studies public. County Fire is already requiring applicant technical studies and has engaged an external fire‑protection engineering firm to produce a cause‑and‑incident report and suggested fire code language. Chief Tony Meacham said the consultant report is expected in October and staff aim to return with an interim update within 45 days and a fuller plan for board consideration by Dec. 11.
Community members who urged a moratorium cited evacuation orders, business closures and medical complaints during recent events and asked that siting rules keep BESS away from homes, schools and hospitals. Industry and utilities said batteries are essential for reliability and the energy transition and urged the board not to halt projects while standards are finalized. Labor groups called for workforce training and certification requirements to reduce installation and maintenance errors.
Why it matters: BESS helps integrate renewable energy and can reduce reliance on fossil‑fuel peaker plants, but recent fires have raised questions about siting, design and emergency response. The board's action prioritizes a data‑driven technical path and a faster interim enforcement route through fire code facts and findings rather than a blanket pause on new projects.
What's next: County Fire will finish its consultant report and present technical recommendations; staff will require applicant technical studies at early review stages, post study materials publicly, and return to the board with an interim update in 45 days and a fuller plan on or before Dec. 11. The board also directed continued stakeholder outreach and potential inclusion of safety standards in future fire code and zoning updates.
