SU0015801 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

4 Environmental Analysis 4.9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials IMPACT 4.9-7: Would the project expose people or structures, either directly or indirectly, to a significant risk of loss, injury or death involving wildland fires? (Less than Significant Impact) The Project is located in a High FHSZ within the SRA (CAL FIRE 2022). The nearest Very High FHSZ is located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of the Project site. The nearest residences are located approximately 0.2 mile (approximately 1,000 feet) north of the Project site on the other side of West Patterson Pass and 0.2 mile (approximately 1,000 feet)southwest of the Project site at the southern terminus of Midway Road. Primary fire services for the BESS would be provided by South San Joaquin County Fire Authority (SJC Fire) in San Joaquin County. The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) would provide fire services to the portion of the gen-tie line corridor in Alameda County and the PG&E Tesla Substation. CAL FIRE would also provide secondary fire services to the entire Project site, as the site is located entirely within the SRA. The Project would be designed in compliance with federal, state, and local worker safety and fire protection codes and regulations, which would minimize the potential for the occurrence of fire. Project maintenance and operation may introduce potential ignition sources, such as transformers, inverters, electric transmission line (including the gen-tie line), substations, maintenance vehicles, gas/electric-powered machinery, and batteries. However, the potential fire risk is low for these Project components. All battery components for the BESS would be installed on concrete pads and contained within an enclosure to minimize the potential for sparks or ignition. Fire detection measures would be incorporated in the Project design in accordance with National Fire Protection Association safety standards. During Project construction and decommissioning, the primary fire hazards would be heat or sparks from vehicles and construction equipment. These hazards could potentially ignite dry vegetation at the Project site, especially during the warmer, dry months between June and October. Additionally, construction activities, such as welding and grinding, could generate sparks that would increase the likelihood of ignition. Thus, depending on the time of year and location of construction activities at the Project site, there could be a temporary increase in exacerbated fire risk in the area due to these other factors. However, Cal/OSHA Title 8 Regulations include Subchapter 4, Construction Safety Orders, Article 36, Fire Protection and Prevention, which contains standard practices to minimize the potential for fires during construction. The Project would adhere to all applicable fire protection and prevention measures to limit the potential for fires during construction and decommissioning. The Project will also comply with applicable local and state fire code requirements, standards from Underwriters Laboratories (UL; safety organization), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Specifically, the Project's fire protection design will comply with California Fire Code Section 1207, Electrical Energy Storage Systems, which adopts the NFPA's Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems (NFPA 855). The selected battery technology for the Project will also comply with UL 9540A testing. UL 9540A testing is performed by the battery manufacturer/vendor to prevent thermal runaway and mitigate fire risk. Some of the measures to mitigate fire risk include heating, ventilation, air conditioning, sprinkler system, early smoke detection, alarms, and remote monitoring. The latest UL 9540A testing criteria for battery units, such as those proposed for the Project, specifically test for the potential for thermal runaway to prevent a thermal runaway event. The latest technology in battery storage has established a design such that, in the unlikely event a combustion episode occurs, the combustion would be contained to a single battery container and not result in thermal runaway that could Griffith Energy Storage Project 4.9-18 Tetra Tech/SCH 2022120675 Draft Environmental Impact Report August 2023