Commissioners press AES on BESS fire safety, ask for 60,000‑gallon water reserve and spacing

Santa Fe County commissioners pressed AES Clean Energy on fire safety and emergency response for the proposed Rancho Viejo solar and battery project during a special hearing on the county’s appeal of Planning Commission case 24‑5200. The board’s questioning centered on suppression design, spacing of battery containers, how much water would be available for firefighting, and who would be on site to monitor and respond.

Why this matters: Commissioners said public safety, particularly given nearby communities, schools and detention facilities, is the primary conditional‑use standard for approval. The commissioners repeatedly asked for more concrete evidence that the company’s fire measures will work in high‑fire environments and for operational guarantees the county can enforce.

The applicant, represented by AES project staff, described multiple layered protections. AES’s Joshua (full name not provided in the hearing) said the company is the developer, engineer and intended operator and “bring[s] in outside experts” for design work. Mike Simpson, identified on the record as an AES speaker, said the company’s enclosures and mitigation systems are designed to meet applicable standards and that the technology has been field‑deployed for years: “we are, UL 95 40 certified as well.”

Discussion highlights

- Suppression and spacing: Commissioners asked whether AES would accept a condition to space containers 10 feet apart. AES responded it was willing to “accept a design modification to space the containers 10 feet apart.” AES staff also said…