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While officials draft local regulations, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on April 28 extended its pause on approvals and processing of large-scale energy storage projects until late spring.
The board had already approved a 45-day moratorium in March, but Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Director Abraham Prado told supervisors that staff needed more time to draft rules. The extension, Prado said, will give staff more time to align the regulations with the county’s current safety policies and the General Plan.
“There are still more requirements that we need to review with emergency services,” Prado said. “Without updated regulations, projects could proceed without adequate safeguards tailored to local conditions.”
County Counsel Gregory Priamos told the board the new standards will be ready before the extended moratorium ends. He said the proposed new ordinance will be presented at a public meeting on June 9.
California has designated battery energy storage systems, also known as BESS, as critical infrastructure for the transition to renewable energy. These systems consist of rows of large battery containers that store power—often generated by solar or wind—and release it when demand surges, which often happens during the summer or when heatwaves strain the electrical grid.
In 2025, Boston-based Longroad Energy proposed building a 900-acre facility called Allium Solar, which would generate 110 MW of solar energy and store an equivalent amount in batteries. That would be enough, the company claims, to power more than 110,000 homes for up to four hours daily during peak demand.
Allium Solar would be located north of Hollister bordering Hwy 156 across from the larger Amazon Warehouse, and stretches up to Hwy 25 on land that is zoned agricultural. But both the property owner and Longroad Energy consider the property low productivity ag land. The energy produced by the project has been contracted since last year to be sold to Marin Clean Energy, the renewable energy provider in Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties.
Longroad Energy argues that even though there’s a financial agreement with Marin Clean Energy, the energy would first serve San Benito County, thereby strengthening the local electrical grid.
“When Allium generates power, it would enter the grid right here in Hollister and therefore it naturally supports San Benito County’s load first,” Longroad Development Manager Lauren Cyphers said. “So, during heat waves, wildfires, or transmission outages, when the grid is under the most stress, local generation and storage are what keep the lights on.”
The moratorium extension was opposed by representatives of Longroad Energy and Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), the renewable energy provider serving San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties.
Cyphers said the project is still in its initial stages and undergoing environmental studies. With an approval decision still 12 to 18 months away, she said, there was enough time to develop standards without a moratorium, which not only halts Allium’s approval but bars county staff from accepting or processing any BESS application.
Cyphers added that Allium Solar would also generate “millions in property and sales taxes for the county.”
3CE Community Relations Manager Sophia Schwirzke said energy storage facilities support the county during emergencies such as wildfires, when the electrical grid is under stress and there may be a need for more energy. She also warned the board that blocking such a project could cost the county its local authority.
“3CE encourages the board to direct staff to continue to develop local development standards for energy storage projects without continuing the moratorium,” Schwirzke said. “So that the county can retain local oversight and begin realizing the benefits these projects offer.”
Priamos told the board that he has spoken with California Energy Commission staff. He said he was informed that if a developer wants to bypass a jurisdiction to get an approval for a BESS project, the energy commission will “determine whether or not there are any local ordinances and will, to the extent possible, condition their state permit on compliance with our local ordinance.”
“If you choose to regulate, then the county will be able to retain its local land use authority,” Priamos said. “It will be able to create conditions that it believes are necessary for its environment, and those will then be considered by the state in its permitting process.”
The board voted unanimously to extend the moratorium. Supervisor Mindy Sotelo, who had opposed the initial pause in March, said she was now supporting the extension because the county would have its own regulations in place by the time it expired. She added that she was previously concerned that a moratorium might prompt Allium Solar to bypass the county for approval.
Supervisors Kollin Kosmicki, Angela Curro, and Ignacio Velazquez each flagged priorities for the new rules.
Alluding to the 2025 Moss Landing fire involving the Vistra battery storage facility, Kosmicki said facilities should be placed as far as possible from population centers.
Curro said emergency services access should be a top priority.
Velazquez said at least 80% of the energy generated by Allium should stay in the county rather than be exported.
“If what we’re doing is exporting, what’s the point?” he said. “They can do it in their own community.”
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