SB 283 Fact Sheet

Senate Bill 283 would update fire safety standards for battery storage sites in California.

Battery storage is a cornerstone of California’s energy future because the technology delivers clean power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

Battery storage capacity has grown to more than 15,000 megawatts in California, enough to keep the state’s power grid operating smoothly even amid record heat waves in 2024. But state plans call for 52,000 megawatts by 2045 to reliably power millions of homes during peak demand.

A 2025 fire at an older battery storage site at Moss Landing raised safety concerns. Battery fires are rare, but in large enclosed facilities that aren’t built to the latest code, they can spread quickly.

SB 283 requires the California Building Standards Commission and the Office of the State Fire Marshall to adopt provisions that comply with the most recent edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s battery storage standards. Under the latest standards, batteries would be situated within individual modules resembling shipping containers or in noncombustible buildings in addition to complying with a range of other requirements.