OC residents express concern over proposed lithium battery storage plant near Saddleback College
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (KABC) -- Orange County residents and stakeholders in Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo and San Juan Capistrano are expressing concern over a proposal to build a lithium battery storage plant in the area near Saddleback College.
Among the facility's opponents is Angela Maroon, who has lived in Laguna Niguel's Concord Hill neighborhood for 29 years.
"It's just a really, really bad spot and I can't imagine why they ever thought that was a good idea," she said.
Compass Energy Storage wants to build and operate a 250-megawatt battery energy storage system on 13 acres of land it bought from Saddleback Church.
The land is in the city of San Juan Capistrano next to the 5 Freeway and Camino Capistrano.
"I'm really disappointed with Saddleback Church not even reaching out to our community and letting us know about this potential. They preach, 'Love thy neighbor;' I don't see that happening in this area," Concord Hill resident Andy Perea said.
Some neighbors are afraid of the danger the facility could pose during a wildfire.
"It's at the bottom of our hill. Smoke rises up and toxins rise up. We're right in its path," Maroon said.
Perea added, "The site is right adjacent to the creek which leads down to the ocean and the toxins that would result from a potential fire. It's just a recipe for disaster."
In January, a Pacific Gas & Electric Company lithium-ion battery-storage plant in Northern California caught on fire and burned for days prompting evacuations. Similar fires have burned in other parts of the state.
"We've actually had a facility in San Diego that burned for over 14 days because they couldn't put the fires out," said Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor. "These batteries burn so hot that they're almost impossible to put out once they catch fire."
In a statement, Brett Kotrba with Saddleback Church's Pastor Leadership Team, said it is not involved in Compass Energy Storage's decision to obtain land-use approvals for the property through the state.
"Saddleback Church is the closest neighbor to this proposed development, and it is very important to the church that all health, safety and environmental impacts are thoroughly reviewed by the California Energy Commission," Kotrba said.
ENGIE, the company that owns Compass Energy Storage, said it is committed to delivering safe energy storage projects that help protect the local environment and surrounding communities.
An ENGIE representative said the site plan is designed for fire safety and they're working with Orange County Fire Authority, adding that the project will adhere to all local and state regulations.
The company said the Orange County project has the from a diverse coalition including the Orange County Business Council, Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and unions like Ironworkers Local 433 and UA Local 250. It is expected to deliver more than $50 million in local economic benefits.
The California Energy Commission is hosting an information and environmental scoping meeting Thursday until 9 p.m.
The public can attend in person at the Capistrano Unified School District board room or via Zoom. The meeting will also be streamed on YouTube.
