State energy commission hears from energized Vacaville neighbors on proposed lithium-ion battery facility
By Ashley Sharp
Generating a lot of buzz in Solano County are multiple proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, one being the Corby Project by NextEra Energy. As of last month, the company submitted its official application to the California Energy Commission (CEC) for approval.
California changed state laws back in 2022 to fast-track battery storage plants to help the state meet its clean energy goals and desire for more power grid resiliency, allowing the CEC to approve energy storage projects that can now bypass the county or city approval process.
“The state has very ambitious goals. We’re aiming to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2045 and we’re we’ve made it quite a ways. We’re about two-thirds of the way there, but we have a long way to go, so we have to have a lot more building take place in California of renewable energy and storage,” said Drew Bohan, executive director of the CEC.
The proposed lithium-ion battery storage facility would sit just outside the Vacaville city limits near Kilkenny Road and Byrnes Road in Solano County on 40 acres of privately owned farmland.
By law, before the CEC can approve a project like this, it must hear concerns from the community in a public forum.
Thursday night, the state agency hosted its first meeting in Vacaville at the Ulatis Center from 2 p.m. to just after 6 p.m. for drop-in public comment.
“I implore you to put yourself in my shoes,” pleaded one neighbor in a public comment who lives near the proposed site.
About 100 neighbors showed up throughout the afternoon and evening.
“Our ag land is precious. Once you destroy ag land and the water systems, you can’t get that back,” said another neighbor.
Many neighbors say they do not want it in the proposed location because close by are homes, the hospital and Interstate-80. They worry about incidents of massive fires and thermal runoff, citing what happened at the Moss Landing battery storage facility in Monterey County when a fire prompted evacuations in January.
“These are real people, and that plant is going to be right in front of their house,” Noelle DeMartini, a member of the “Keep Vacaville Safe” community group, told CBS Sacramento.
Drew Bohan, executive director of the commission, says all community concerns are valid and the CEC is listening.
“The biggest concern was fire and the toxins that may come from a fire,” Bohan said. “We are required, through state law, to evaluate a number of concerns. Noise, fire, toxics, all those different things, and local land use ordinances. So we have to look at that and then and then evaluate it, and then either decide to follow it. The statute gives us the authority to essentially override the local government’s decision, but we don’t do that lightly. We look very carefully at each individual situation,” said Bohan.
Solano County recently ended its moratorium on BESS projects, after the Board of Supervisors prioritized adopting a local ordinance limiting where they are allowed to be built before the Corby Project gets too far along in the state approval process.
The city of Vacaville hosted a heated community meeting in late October, asking the community to help draft a similar ordinance for the city.
Bohan says, regardless of the state’s energy goals, they will disapprove a project if they feel it is not right for the community.
Since the 2022 law change giving them the authority to approve these projects, Bohan says the CEC has only approved one project in Fresno County. Staff has recommended that they reject a second project.
About seven more projects, including the Corby Project, are currently working through the state approval process.
“We absolutely place public safety at the top of our list,” Bohan said.
Neighbors with “Keep Vacaville Safe” say they want the CEC to reject the project, adding it sets a precedent for more companies already eyeing Vacaville and Solano County land to move in.
“I think, if you’re from here, or if you have lived in a small town like this before, you could resonate and know this isn’t a good thing,” DeMartini said.
No decision was made Thursday night. This was an informational meeting only.
The timeline for the energy commission to vote is 270 days since they received the application, which they got a month ago
A vote is expected to take place on the Corby Project in summer 2026. More public hearings will be held before a decision is made.
The company NextEra Energy hosted a community meeting on the project in July in Vacaville.
