Please mark your calendar for this meeting. The county needs input from the public to help create the rules on where battery energy storage can be safely located.

By NICK MCCONNELL | [email protected]
June 26, 2024 at 6:16 p.m.

​"​The City of Vacaville has extended its moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems until May of 2026 following a unanimous city council vote Tuesday evening.
Senior Planner Albert Enault provided the presentation, which noted that the moratorium will be extended for 22 months and 50 days to increase the amount of time the city will have to craft long-term regulations on the issue.
A study regarding the issue by energy consulting firm Larsen & Toubro commissioned by the city council earlier this year is expected to be completed in October of 2025 and is “intended to evaluate BESS facilities, alternative energy sources, and the development of a series of energy hubs throughout Vacaville.”
Enault said the moratorium would not preclude the state’s opt-in process allowed by AB 205, and does not apply to back-of-meter facilities. Councilmember Jeanette Wylie asked if the city moratorium will apply until 2026 on county land, and Enault clarified that it will not.
“We are not against renewable energy, I want to make that clear,” a public commenter representing Keep Vacaville Safe said. “We just support the next development that would be safer for our community”
“There are no existing policies, procedures or standings for regulating these types of facilities,” staff indicated to the council during their presentation last month. There were also no proposals for BESS development on city-controlled land at when the ordinance was passed."

to read the entire article click here: https://www.thereporter.com/2024/06/26/vacaville-extends-bess-moratorium-to-2026/

​Two other companies have put in an applications to build lithium ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Vacaville!!!!!

1) NextEra - owns two properties one in the city limits on N. Meridan Rd and one in the unincorporated on Byrnes Rd. These are both located very close to the PG&E substation. They plan to build a 300 MW system.

2) CalPeak/ Middle River Power will sublease property behind Mills Lane very close to the City owned property Menard Energy wanted to build at. The City voted down Menard Energy’s project in January mostly due to fire and safety concerns being close to homes. This project shares ALL the same issues. This land is zoned unincorporated and is designated County.

As of right now….. their applications are both on HOLD due to the moratorium on BESS the county has in place. 👏 Thankfully,  they will have to wait until the county lifts the moratorium and their application will be subject to any changes the county decides to implement in permitting these facilities. Hopefully they won’t allow them to be built this close to homes. 

This is good news for now…but we still need the City to follow the County’s lead and place a moratorium on BESS in the City limits!! 

The City of Vacaville should have a plan to protect against lithium ion BESS being placed near hospitals, homes, schools and highways due to the safety hazards they are known to cause. Until they do, you can bet these companies will just keep coming!

Vacaville City Council will be voting on a moratorium May 14th at 6pm at City Hall. We need them to vote YES! The moratorium will halt all applications from private developers temporarily and hopefully give the City a chance to address the issue of where these can be safely located. 

We really NEED the public to show up for this one! The fate of our City is at stake. Please attend the meeting:

Tuesday, May 14th at 6pm.
Vacaville City Hall 
650 Merchant St. Vacaville, CA 95688


Please take two minutes and mark your calendar.

On Wednesday, January 10th, Vacaville City Council held a special meeting to consider an extension to the ERNA contract with Menard Energy. It was a 7-0 vote to NOT move forward with the project! A big win for Vacaville. To read more check out this article:
​
Vacaville Reporter
January 11, 2024

The Vacaville City Council unanimously rejected extending the city’s Exclusive Negotiating Rights Agreement with Menard Energy at a special meeting Wednesday evening.
Menard had proposed to build a lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System at the former Gibson Canyon Creek wastewater facility owned by the city.
Since a standing-room-only meeting hosted by the city in September to outline details of the facility, public backlash to the proposal and the continuation of the ENRA has crescendoed to a roar. A local group known as Keep Vacaville Safe has spoken at each subsequent city council meeting, citing concerns about fires and fumes that could be caused by the site.
                                                  To read more click HERE =====>>>

YOUR PRESENCE IS CRUCIAL at this special meeting!

** Update**
HUGE turnout! Over 200 people in attendance largely opposed to the project. Great questions asked by all. To watch an replay of the meeting, a link is below:


Please attend the community meeting Thursday, 9/7 at 6-8pm. Solano College 2001 North Village Parkway, Vacaville, CA 95688 The City will be hosting Menard Energy LLC and the community will be able to ask questions regarding this project.

Sign the in-person petition at the farmers market every Saturday through November 16th. 8am - 12pm at the Main Street Entrance. 

Sign the online petition and share with other Vacaville Residents linked below. (Do not donate to change.org!! the money doesn’t help this cause)
Be prepared to attend a meeting when announced.

On January 10th 2023, the City of Vacaville entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with Menard Energy LLC to put a very large lithium-ion battery power plant in North Vacaville, located at 7050 Leisure Town Rd. The plant is huge – 32 acres and nearly one million square feet. Homes that would be affected in a potential evacuation/hazard zone would be located within1-4 miles of the site.

Commercial lithium-ion battery storage comes with risks, including: fires, explosions and toxic smoke that could cause evacuations or shelter in place orders for residents. The developer is promising a community park with eight tennis courts and a pool as an incentive to accept their project. While this park may seem beneficial to the City, this project doesn’t belong near homes.

LITHIUM-ION IS VOLATILE: Since 2018, there have been 50 documented large lithium-ion battery fires including 2 recent lithium-iron battery storage fires in New York. They’re very difficult to put out, require excessive amounts of water and sometimes burn for weeks. In September 2022, a battery storage fire in Moss Landing, CA shut down an eight mile stretch on Hwy 101. Businesses and residents in a four mile area were told to “shelter in place” and turn off their HVAC to outside air due to deadly toxins from the smoke.

PROPERTY VALUE DECREASE: Nearby residents would most likely have to disclose it as potential hazard when selling their properties.

NON-STOP NOISE: Battery storage systems require their own inverter, substation and HVAC systems to cool the batteries. They emit a 24/7 buzzing or humming noise that is extremely loud and heard in neighboring areas.

OTHER EXISTING BATTERY STORAGE SITES ARE IN INDUSTRIAL ZONES OR ISOLATED AREAS: This project is located 1050 ft from homes in North Village subdivision and the closest home on Mills Lane is 480 ft. It is also within a mile of a Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Solano College.

CONTAMINATES WATER: Runoff from water used to cool exploded/burning battery units could contaminate the nearby creek as well as pollute the groundwater, which may affect nearby residential and city wells.

DOESN’T PROVIDE LONG TERM JOBS FOR VACAVILLE: Once built, these systems are usually remotely monitored.

NO ENERGY BENEFIT: None of the energy saved goes directly to Vacaville.residents. It doesn’t guarantee our city power during blackouts, just millions of dollars for the developer.

City Council will be voting on this sometime before the end of the year.



​HOW YOU CAN HELP:
1) Share this information with your Vacaville friends and neighbors.

2) Sign and share the online petition. Click here : Sign the Petition

3) Send a message to Vacaville City Council and the planning manager. ( If you want a response, write each one individually)
email addresses:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]

4) Attend one of the City Council meetings and state your opinion of this project during the public comment part of the meeting. (In person is the most powerful) meetings are biweekly on Tuesday evenings.

5)Be prepared to attend the City Council Meeting when this project is up for a vote. We will need the MOST people in attendance that day and as many speakers as possible. (This is the most important thing you can do)

6) Subscribe to this page for updates. We will post about City Council meetings and any relevant info.

Let's keep Vacaville safe!

Please join our Facebook group for more information “www.facebook.com/groups/nobatterystorage”. ​