Vacaville leaders, neighbors draft city ordinance for controversial battery storage plants in charged debate

By Ashley Sharp

The community was charged on Wednesday night at a meeting hosted by the City of Vacaville concerning battery energy storage systems (BESS) and the local restrictions city leaders are working to put on them.

Right now, the city has no regulations on the books for these types of facilities.

It comes as they are becoming more common under a statewide push to meet renewable energy goals. These battery energy storage facilities are a huge part of meeting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan for all electricity sold in California to be renewable by 2045, with a 60 percent benchmark to be met by 2030.

“So many people were not aware these were even coming to Vacaville,” said Deanna Cole, a Vacaville resident and organizer of the “Keep Vacaville Safe” community movement in response to the proposed battery plants.

Cole would neighbor a proposed battery plant near Kilkenny Road by NextEra Energy called the Corby Energy Project, which is seeking state approval from the California Energy Commission right now.

The company hosted a community meeting on the project in July.

The project sits just outside of the Vacaville city limits. The Solano County Board of Supervisors in August voted to end their moratorium on BESS facilities, updating an ordinance that now allows BESS proposals as long as they follow outlined safety regulations and if they sit on land zoned for manufacturing or industrial use.

“We’re not just concerned about that project. We are worried about anything that is gonna pop up from here on out,” said Cole.

Cole says the message of “Keep Vacaville Safe” is that these lithium-ion battery facilities, when too close to homes or hospitals, bring fire danger and an environmental nightmare.

The City of Vacaville, which has no current regulations for these types of facilities, laid out its plan Wednesday night for a new ordinance and asked neighbors for their input.

Cole and dozens of other neighbors showed up to the meeting to share their thoughts.

“We are taking all the risk by having this in our community. There is no benefit,” said one neighbor in public comment.

Project Planner Albert Enault with the city of Vacaville outlined restrictions they want in place for battery plants before more potentially come to town under state approval.

“I think we have an obligation to make sure Vacaville is not the next Moss Landing. That’s a critical point right now,” said another neighbor who was met with a roar of applause from neighbors in the audience.

In January, a massive fire erupted at the Moss Landing Vistra Power lithium-ion battery facility in Monterey County, prompting local evacuations.

The same facility caught fire again a month later.

Neighbors worry that with these plants proposed for Vacaville and Solano County, it’s only a matter of time before they cause a wind-fueled, challenging-to-extinguish fire.

“From every incident that happens across the country, we are learning from every one of those, poring over the after-action reports,” said Chief Kris Concepcion of the Vacaville Fire Department.

Concepcion says safety is their top priority, but it’s not yet possible for them to put together an emergency plan until they know exactly what is coming to Vacaville and when.

“Before any project comes in here we are gonna monitor very closely and take a look at it and make sure we have a good emergency response plan,” said Concepcion.

Neighbors fear their home values will go down and their cost of living will go up.

“I don’t want to breathe it, I don’t want to see fires, and I don’t want to pay triple my home insurance,” said one neighbor in public comment.

Some neighbors say projects like this could drive them from Vacaville altogether.

“If things like this pass, we absolutely would sell our home and move,” a young mother commented, who loves near the proposed Corby Project.

Some suggestions from neighbors on Wednesday night for the ordinance included that these plants should be at least a mile from homes. Right now, the city is suggesting a 300-foot buffer.

Others said the city should ban lithium-ion batteries altogether, forcing the companies to use what they say are safer energy alternatives. Many also want the sites to sit only in industrial parks, not on farmland.

The city expects to publish a draft of its ordinance in November.

For updates on upcoming meetings and proposed facilities, visit the city’s web page on BESS projects.