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Senate advances bill setting statewide safety rules for utility-scale battery storage
Summary
Senate committee advanced SB 283, which would require utility-scale battery storage to meet NFPA 855 standards, deepen local fire-agency review and inspections, and prohibit indoor installation of large-scale combustible battery arrays.
The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications on Tuesday advanced SB 283, the Clean Energy Safety Act of 2025, which would require utility-scale battery storage projects to follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855 standards, require pre-application coordination with local fire authorities and require inspection before a facility goes into service.
The bill’s author, Sen. John Laird, said the measure responds to high-profile storage fires — including a multi-day blaze at the Moss Landing facility — and to rapid growth in battery capacity in California. "If we're going to have battery storage, it needs to be safe for the people around it and for those in the state," Laird told the committee.
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