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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…
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