Monterey County to begin public process for battery energy storage ordinance after Vistra fire

Monterey County staff said they will prepare a county ordinance to regulate battery energy storage systems after last year’s Vistra Energy battery fire and will begin a public engagement process next week.

Craig Spencer, director of Monterey County Housing and Community Development, said the Board of Supervisors has directed staff to prepare zoning regulations that would be specific to battery energy storage systems. “We have gotten direction from our board of supervisors to prepare an ordinance regulating battery energy storage systems,” Spencer said, and he announced an initial meeting on March 18 to kick off the community process. He said staff will maintain a project webpage and an interested-parties email list for updates.

Spencer said the county intends to focus primarily on 'behind-the-meter' systems and to use zoning and permitting rules to guide future siting and review; he said staff will consider state building and fire codes and California Public Utilities Commission rules as overlapping authorities during analysis and meetings.

“We will be out there collecting as much information as we can in the early phases of the ordinance development,” Spencer said, encouraging public participation at the kickoff meeting and future hearings. County staff did not announce a timeline for final adoption, noting the project would include multiple outreach events and technical analysis.

The county’s initial public meeting (announced during the briefing) is intended as a foundational outreach session; officials said additional meetings and online resources will follow as staff develop draft regulatory language.