This opinion was contributed by San Juan Bautista resident John Freeman. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aqui.

I am writing this editorial to promote clean energy in our county and the State of California. San Benito County is at a crossroads and can either embrace clean energy and responsible economic development, retaining meaningful local control or continue delaying projects until developers have little choice but to seek approval from Sacramento.

  • Clean Energy projects bring many benefits to our county and its citizens.  Energy storage projects can bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue — funds that San Benito County can use to improve our schools, infrastructure, emergency services, and other public priorities.
  • Energy storage projects can create hundreds of good, family-sustaining jobs in our community for local workers and families.
  • Supporting responsible energy investment helps position San Benito County for long-term economic competitiveness and stability.

The proposed Allium Solar and Battery Energy Storage Project by Longroad Energy is an example of how county inaction will cost our community millions of dollars in economic opportunities. Longroad Energy has worked with San Benito County for several years to advance a project that would generate 110 megawatts of solar energy, provide 110 megawatts of battery storage, create construction jobs, and generate substantial property and sales tax revenues. Yet instead of moving the project through the review and permitting process, the county has imposed a moratorium on battery energy storage projects, leaving a significant private investment in limbo.

Here’s what county leaders need to understand: Longroad Energy has another option in AB 205, creating an alternative permitting process allowing qualifying renewable energy developers to seek project approval directly from the California Energy Commission. The State did this to speed up the process of cleaning the grid by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy.  The American Lung Association states that approximately 400,000 Americans die each year from pollution caused by fossil fuel power plants.  The state has already approved several large clean energy projects to overcome the Nimbyism of several counties.

San Benito is presently considering an ordinance that is being kicked back and forth between the Planning Commission and an Ad Hoc group that is making recommendations. Many of the recommendations are designed to make the project uneconomical by requiring excessive setbacks.

But you might say, what about Safety and Moss Landing? Moss Landing was a one-off situation and should be not compared to the newer Battery Energy Storage Plants (BESS) facilities.  The battery chemistry at Moss Landing was NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) vs our planned project containing LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate). LFP Batteries, lacking the heavy metals, do not produce Hydrofluoric Acid when burning like the Moss Landing batteries did.  The ignition flammable temperature for LFP batteries is 270 ℃ while for NMC batteries it is much lower at 150 ℃.  With containerized battery modules and modern battery management it is much harder for Thermal Runaway (fire) to occur. None of those were present at Moss Landing and are now required by state regulations.

“A recent EPRI report(Electric Power Research Institute) plots global failures of commercial and grid-scale batteries — including arc flash, fire, and explosion events — and shows that the annual rate of failure has fallen precipitously as installations have grown exponentially. New safety standards have taken effect since the first big batteries were installed, and the batteries themselves, as well as project layouts, have grown more sophisticated and safe over the years.”

”By 2025, the annual failure rate fell [of batteries] by more than 97% from the 2016 rate, while cumulative deployments rose 250-fold.”(As US grid batteries surge, risk of fires plummets. Canary Media October 23, 2026).

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But those concerns should be addressed through rigorous environmental review, enforceable safety standards, and responsible oversight—not indefinite delays. Longroad Energy has demonstrated a willingness to work with our county and negotiate community benefits, like funding the proposed regional park, or building a new fire station. That willingness should not be mistaken for an obligation to wait forever.

If San Benito County cannot establish a reasonable path forward, Longroad Energy will seriously consider exercising its rights under AB 205 and seek approval from the California Energy Commission asap. Our leaders have a choice: responsibly lead locally and help shape a accountable project that benefits our community or continue delaying until Sacramento makes the decision for us.

San Benito County deserves better than more missed opportunities, it deserves the clean air, extra income, benefits and local well-paying jobs that this project will provide.

BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By contacting Managing Editor Jim Johnson jimjohnson@benitolink.com or registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues.