The Santa Maria City Council has approved stricter regulations on where large battery energy storage systems can be built, citing recent fires at similar facilities across California.
The new rules, adopted this week, restrict the construction of battery energy storage systems to industrial zones and require developers to obtain specific permits. The facilities must also be located at least a quarter mile from homes, schools, hospitals and farmland.
Battery storage systems store renewable energy and release it during power outages or periods of high demand. But recent fires — including a high-profile incident at a facility in Moss Landing earlier this year — have raised safety concerns statewide.
Councilmember Gloria Flores voiced strong support for the new restrictions, referencing similar fires near her hometown of San Diego.
“I think we need to really do some studies on what we can do,” Flores said. “They're very explosive, and then the fumes — and then we have our city and then we have people and then we have elderly and then we have those that are sick.”
The amended ordinance also mandates detailed emergency response plans must be submitted in coordination with local fire and police departments.
