California Commission Establishes Safety Standards for Battery Storage Facilities

The California Public Utilities Commission on March 13 established new safety standards for the operation and maintenance of battery energy storage facilities. The commission modified General Order 167, which provides the framework to implement maintenance and operation standards for electric generating facilities to include new safety standards for energy storage facilities.

The new rules require owners of battery energy storage facilities to produce emergency response and action plans. Other modifications to the regulations include establishing technical logbook standards for battery energy storage systems.

General Order 167, issued in 2004, established safety standards for all electricity generating facilities. Since its issuance, renewable energy assets such as solar and wind power have expanded significantly, and would need considerable energy storage capacity to provide a stable electricity supply. With the expansion of energy storage, there have been increased safety incidents such as fires at energy storage sites, with at least 10 reported in the last five years.

The rising number of safety risks at energy storage facilities prompted the commission to review existing safety and emergency protocols for these sites. In January, the commission proposed new safety measures for operating and maintaining battery energy storage facilities, as well as establishing emergency response plans.

In the last five years, California’s energy storage capacity increased significantly from 500 megawatts (MW) to over 13,300 MW in 2024. Last year alone, more than 7,000 MW of generating capacity came online including over 4,000 MW of new battery storage. Estimates show that the state would require 52,000 MW by 2045 to meet new energy demand.