Setback for Hecate in California, San Diego rejects BESS moratorium

Hecate's proposal asked Moorpark City Council officials to change a specific industrial zoning law that currently prevents the developer from obtaining a conditional use permit (CUP) for its Gwent energy storage project, as Hecate plans to locate the batteries outside and not to be accommodated within a building.

“Enhanced screening process” for BESS installations

Hecate purchased the proposed property for the project from Burns Pacific Construction, Inc. in early 2023 through its subsidiary Hecate Grid Gwent Land, LLC.

Although most BESS facilities are located outdoors in containers these days, Moorpark laws dictate that BESS facilities are only permitted if they are located inside a building – a change that was added to the city's commercial zoning laws in June 2023 was added.

Officials were first made aware of Hecate's plans to develop the Gwent project outdoors after the independent power producer (IPP) submitted applications for a conditional use permit (CUP), preliminary parcel map and development agreement amendment to the city in March 2024 .

Hecate's most recent proposal to Moorpark Council asked officials to consider a change to city zoning laws that would see BESS projects reviewed on a case-by-case basis under an “enhanced review process” – allowing developers to consider plans for BESS outdoor facilities to Moorpark Council, who would then decide whether or not to approve the plans.

Indoor storage style BESS facilities

In his presentation to the Moorpark City Council, Hecate outlined the disadvantages of an indoor warehouse-style BESS facility, which included issues related to the lack of battery isolation, issues accessing emergency response, and the need for increased cooling and a larger overall project footprint.

During the recent meeting, Hecate representatives described Moorpark's BESS zoning laws as not only restrictive, but also a “one-size-fits-all policy with no flexibility” that creates undue risk that is inconsistent with industry “best practices.”

Moorpark City Manager Troy Brown said Hecate could move forward with development of the project as long as the proposal complies with local zoning regulations. Alternatively, Hecate could wait 12 months to resubmit its zoning change proposal.

However, during the meeting, James Damon, Hecate's senior director of development, explained that developing the project indoors was not financially feasible for the company.

Hecate currently holds a California Independent System Operator (CAISO) queue position for the Gwent Project (queue #2090) with 465 MW of storage capacity connected to the grid via Southern California Edison's (SCE) 230 kV Moorpark substation is.

According to the queue, the project is scheduled to go online in January 2033. However, it is unclear what will happen to the project following its recent rejection.

San Diego's plans for a temporary moratorium were rejected

Elsewhere in California, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted against a statewide moratorium on new BESS facilities.

The temporary moratorium had already been proposed during the July 2024 board meeting when officials decided to adopt new standards for BESS facilities, as reported by Energy-Storage.news.

Instead of issuing a moratorium, the board made a handful of small additions to the permitting process at its September meeting that focused on incorporating technical studies prepared by a fire protection engineer for each BESS application.

Supervisor Jim Desmond, who introduced a motion to pass a moratorium on BESS facilities during the September meeting and did not vote in favor of the new measures, reiterated his concerns about the safety of BESS facilities.

Desmond pointed to BESS fires in San Diego County, including a recent one at a 30 MW/120 MWh San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) plant in Escondido, California. As reported by Energy-Storage.news, Expert Nick Warner, founding director of the Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG), described the fire as “by all accounts well fought by Escondido Fire and SDG&E and their employees.”