CPUC and ESRB outline storage capacity forecasts and new enforcement standards for BESS

California regulators used the webinar to explain how battery energy storage will fit into statewide planning and to describe new safety enforcement steps for large storage facilities.

Molly Stirkle of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said storage is central to the Integrated Resource Planning process and showed the commission’s preferred system plan for the electric sector. "We expect 24 gigawatts of additional storage to be on the grid by 2030 and 30 gigawatts by 2035," Stirkle said, and pointed attendees to public tracking tools maintained by the CPUC and the California Energy Commission that show roughly 11–13 gigawatts of installed wholesale and hybrid storage today.

Banu Wacimas of the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division, Electric Safety and Reliability Branch (ESRB), described Resolution ESRB‑13 and the modification of General Order 167 to what the transcript refers to as 167C, implementing state legislative changes that expand the CPUC’s authority over energy storage systems. Wacimas said ESRB sent a data request to IOUs and generating asset owners to inventory jurisdictional facilities (those above a 50‑MW threshold used for the request). Based on responses from owners/operators, she reported that the total storage from surveyed facilities 50 MW or larger is approximately 13,267 megawatts, and that self‑reported compliance with standards such as UL‑9540/9540A, NFPA‑855 and California building/fire codes is high — but ESRB is following up to validate responses.

Wacimas also described changes in incident reporting thresholds and requirements: owners/operators must report emergency safety‑related incidents within 24 hours, and the transcript records an increase in the monetary reporting threshold (from $50,000 to $200,000) for certain damage reporting categories. She emphasized that emergency response and action plans are now required for each facility and must be coordinated with local emergency management and first‑response agencies, reflecting provisions of recent legislation cited in the session.

Vicki Sakamoto of the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) said her office adopted amendments to the California Fire Code tied to NFPA‑855 (2023 edition) and is assembling a lithium‑ion battery work group and a symposium for first responders tentatively in July. "All these amendments… will be effective 01/01/2026," Sakamoto said.

Speakers repeatedly noted that many survey results are owner/operator responses that ESRB will validate through inspections; CPUC staff said they plan to use the data inventory to prioritize risk‑based inspections.

Next steps: ESRB will follow up with operators to verify survey responses, the CPUC will use the inventory for inspection prioritization, and OSFM plans a symposium and a workgroup report to support first responders.