Battery Electric Storage System in San Juan Capistrano

A lot has been written about the proposed Battery Storage project in San Juan Capistrano. The Sierra Club is in favor of it. Here's why in a nutshell: The Sierra Club sees climate change as the existential threat of our time, which calls for reducing carbon dioxide emissions wherever feasible.  A recent report by Regenerate California (a coalition led by Sierra Club and California Environmental Justice Alliance) has established that battery energy storage systems (BESS) are “significantly more cost-effective and offer great potential to improve energy affordability for ratepayers through a transition to zero-carbon energy.” Battery storage facilities are critical for displacing gas plants in California. By storing renewable energy during the day when it is plentiful and discharging this energy during peak demand, from approximately 4:00 to 9:00 PM, batteries can reduce the need for polluting and expensive gas plants. BESS facilities are an integral part of California’s energy future, and such facilities are being constructed at an increasing rate throughout the state. The Sierra Club understands the urgent need for additional BESS on the grid.

Updates

  • We received a letter from Compass Energy on December 23, 2025, with the announcement that they have paused their application at the California Energy Commission for a Battery Energy Storage System in San Juan Capistrano. “This decision is being made because certain commercial aspects about the current site, along with resource adequacy and market changes, have influenced the economic viability of the Project, requiring us to re-evaluate the location. We will renew efforts to identify an alternative location to implement our existing transmission position, including by evaluating whether conditions have changed at alternative sites that would render one or more viable for the Project.” December 23, 2025
  •  This is a regrettable development that slows down California's efforts to decarbonize. Let’s hope other communities are more welcoming to projects that help shrink our society’s indefensibly large carbon footprint.
  • We sent a letter of support of this project to the California Energy Commission on December 22, 2025, and it has become part of the CEC's official record. Previous posts about this BESS on our blog:
  • CEC Scoping Meeting for the Battery Project in San Juan Capistrano. June 25, 2025
  • Battery Electric Storage System in San Juan Capistrano, December 31, 2024
  • Large Electric Battery Project in San Juan Capistrano. August 13, 2024