The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is planning to enhance the safety of battery energy storage facilities, and their related emergency response plans, by issuing a proposal.
The proposal if approved, will help implement Senate Bill (SB) 1383 to establish new standards for the maintenance and operation of battery energy storage facilities, and increase oversight over emergency response action plans for battery energy storage facilities.
The proposal has modified General Order 167, which currently provides a method to implement and enforce maintenance and operation standards for electric generating facilities. It has also added new safety standards for the maintenance and operation of battery energy storage systems, as required by SB 1383.
The proposal has made it clear that the CPUC requires battery storage facility owners to develop emergency response and emergency action plans, as required by SB 38. In addition, the proposal made other technical updates to the standards to improve safety, reliability, and effectiveness of operation and maintenance activities, such as establishing technical logbook standards for battery storage systems, and expanding requirements for emergency plans that relate to all electric generating facilities.
The CPUC has started investigating Vistra’s battery energy storage facility in Moss Landing as a result of the incident on January 16. The CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division (SED) has requested information and updates and maintaining communication with Vistra. On January 22, SED staff conducted an initial site visit as a part of its ongoing investigation.
The deployment of battery storage systems has increased throughout California, growing from 500 MW in 2019 to over 13,300 MW statewide in 2024. Currently, California’s installed battery storage capacity is over 20% of California’s peak demand, while the state’s projected need for battery storage capacity is estimated at 52,000 MW by 2045.
