Board considers allowing battery energy storage in limited industrial zones with safety safeguards

Solano County planning staff presented a draft amendment to an interim ordinance that would lift the county’s moratorium on front‑of‑meter battery energy storage systems (BESS) in a narrow set of industrial and manufacturing zones while preserving the moratorium elsewhere. The board opened a public hearing and heard extensive comments from residents, business representatives and public‑safety stakeholders.

What staff proposed Planning staff said the draft would allow BESS proposals only in specified industrial/manufacturing zoning categories (ML, MG‑1/2/3, IWD, IAS) and would keep the moratorium in other zones while county planners finalize a permanent ordinance this fall. Staff said the amendment would require safety, siting, setback and operational conditions and would require plume modeling, coordination with first responders, and other technical studies before any use permit could be approved.

Why it matters: The county received a high‑profile application (the Corby project) and the board initially enacted a moratorium because the zoning code lacked specific health‑and‑safety rules for large‑scale BESS on farmland or near residences. The item is the first step toward a permanent local regulatory framework; staff said limits were needed to preserve leverage in state permitting conversations and to protect public safety.

Public testimony and concerns Residents from Vacaville, Suisun City and nearby unincorporated areas told the board they live within a few miles of one proposed site and urged the board to keep a broad ban or to adopt stricter setbacks and plume modeling requirements. Common concerns included: - Risk of thermal runaway, large‑scale fires and toxic smoke spreading to towns and agricultural land. - Potential impact on neighboring hospitals and Travis Air Force Base because of smoke and air‑quality impacts; staff said plume modeling would be required to study such scenarios. - Loss of prime farmland and the county’s agricultural economy if large swaths of ag land are converted to BESS. - Equity concerns: residents noted manufacturing and industrial uses are often sited near lower‑income and BIPOC communities and asked for extra protections.

Industry and county staff remarks Planning staff described an iterative process over more than a year with a technical working group that included first responders and industry representatives. Eric Heichstrom, Associate Planner, said the proposed interim amendment “would allow battery energy storage systems with safeguards on industrial and manufacturing districts only.” James Musick, Resource Management director, told the board the proposal was a calibrated step intended to preserve options for state permitting talks while staff finish a permanent ordinance.

Board and next steps Supervisors asked technical questions about the zoning map, proximity to runways and hospitals, plume model requirements, and how the ordinance would interact with future proposed housing or land‑use changes. Staff said the permanent ordinance would return this fall after additional environmental and technical review, and that any actual BESS project would require a conditional use permit, planning commission review and ultimately a board decision.

Ending The board opened the public hearing and heard more than a dozen comments; staff will incorporate feedback and return with a final ordinance for the board and airport land‑use commission review. No final board action (adopt/deny) on the amendment was recorded in the provided transcript.