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3 Alternatives <br /> 3.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES <br /> The Applicant has identified the following Project Objectives: <br /> 1. Construct and operate a 400-megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system (BESS) in <br /> San Joaquin County with an interconnection at the Tesla Substation (located in Alameda <br /> County) in a cost-competitive manner. <br /> 2. Assist California utilities in meeting their obligations under California's Renewable <br /> Portfolio System (RPS) Program and Senate Bill (SB) 100, which calls for 100 percent of <br /> all electricity sold in California to come from carbon-free resources by the year 2045, <br /> including 60 percent renewables by 2030, and SB 1020, which requires utility providers <br /> to supply 90 percent and 95 percent of supplied electricity from renewable sources by <br /> 2035 and 2040, respectively. <br /> 3. Assist California utilities in meeting their obligations under the California Public Utilities <br /> Commission (CPUC) Energy Storage Framework and Design Program. <br /> 4. Provide for the economically viable, commercially financeable, and environmentally <br /> beneficial use of the site's limited agricultural capacity due to the absence of available <br /> irrigation. <br /> 5. Develop a site in proximity to transmission infrastructure to minimize environmental <br /> impacts. <br /> 6. Develop a battery energy storage facility in San Joaquin County, which would support <br /> the economy by investing in the local community, creating local construction jobs, and <br /> increasing tax and fee revenue to the County. <br /> 3.3 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED AND ELIMINATED <br /> Section 15126.6(c) of the CEQA Guidelines requires that an EIR identify alternatives that were <br /> considered for analysis but rejected as infeasible and briefly explain the reasons for their rejection. <br /> According to the CEQA Guidelines, the following factors may be used to eliminate alternatives from <br /> detailed consideration: the alternative's failure to meet most of the basic Project Objectives, the <br /> alternative's infeasibility, or the alternative's inability to avoid significant environmental impacts. <br /> Alternatives to the proposed Project should include those that would obtain most of the Project <br /> Objectives (listed above), while reducing one or more of the significant and unavoidable impacts <br /> of the proposed Project. In addition, CEQA requires that the No Project Alternative be evaluated <br /> and requires that an Alternative Site Location be considered when appropriate. <br /> 3.3.1 Conservation and Demand Side Management <br /> The County considered whether a conservation and demand side management could provide a <br /> viable potential alternative to the Project. Conservation and demand side management consists <br /> of several strategies to reduce electricity use and shift electrical demand to times of the day when <br /> energy demand is lower. It includes increased energy efficiency and conservation, building and <br /> appliance standards, fuel substitution, and load management. Implementation of conservation <br /> and demand side management techniques could result in a reduction in demand during certain <br /> times of the day, thus reducing the need for additional energy storage facilities. While <br /> Griffith Energy Storage Project 3-2 Tetra Tech/SCH 2022120675 <br /> Draft Environmental Impact Report August 2023 <br />