While firefighters are keeping watch on a fire at a battery storage facility in Otay Mesa that broke out last week, families in other parts of San Diego County are worried about similar projects in their communities.
In February 2022, renewable energy company Arevon began the process of getting permission to build a storage facility called "NightHawk" on Kirkham Way near Beeler Canyon Road in Poway. It's an industrial area but not far from hundreds of homes.
“You got to put it somewhere, but I think out further away from residential areas would be better,“ Poway resident Ron Show said.
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The project is in the early stages and still needs council approval.
In part of a news release, Arevon's executive vice president and COO wrote: “California currently relies on carbon-emitting fossil-fueled power resources to meet daily and peak energy needs. Battery storage is quiet, safe, reliable and cost-effective, and it will reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels.”
“I believe we need it, but do we need it in out back yard? Not a fan of it,” Poway resident Adam Klukowski said.
As a pipe fitter, Klukowski says he’s helped build power plants across the country and that the potential for fire can’t be overlooked.
“Cars catch fire. They have lithium batteries. It is an issue, so I think we have to be concerned with the environment as to where they are at,“ Klukowski said.
The Camino Fire at the battery storage plant in Otay Mesa puts the exclamation point on Klukowski’s concerns. Firefighters have stood by seven days containing it to the confines of the facility.
“We continue to experience isolated thermal runaway (when a battery creates heat faster than it can dissipate, leading to a rapid increase in temperature causing ignition) in the lithium batteries," CalFire said in its latest update.
In La Mesa, residents and local leaders are wrestling with a renewable energy storage site proposed here on El Paso Street. Vice Mayor Laura Lothian is so opposed to it, she’s taken to social media.
“They have already gone through 5 million gallons of water. Can’t put out the chemicals,“ Lothian said in an Instagram post while standing in front of the Camino Fire. “This has no business being in La Mesa. We are building green energy initiatives that we have no idea what the consequences are."
San Diego-based Enersmart wants to build the La Mesa facility. That project is expected to begin in August.
Part of the company’s project overview on its website reads: “Our storage projects prioritize safety. The La Mesa site will use lithium iron phosphate batteries which are a chemically and thermally stable battery technology.”
With the current state of the Camino Fire, residents can’t help but wonder whether it could happen in their communities.
“If they can’t figure out how to put that fire out, these batteries have been a problem for everything,” Show said.
The companies say these projects are generally being created to support the electrical grid during times of high use. They are also part of several community efforts to transition to clean energy use.
