A proposal to build a battery storage facility may seem environmentally friendly, but it will threaten the health of Palomar College students.
A battery energy storage system (BESS) is proposed for Eden Valley near the Palomar hospital that overlooksFreeway 78. The facility, known as the Seguro BESS, is part of California’s effort to transition to renewable energy, but it holds hidden dangers — and it would be located just 4.7 miles from Palomar College.
BESS facilities typically charged with clean, renewable energy during the day. That stored energy is then used at other times, such as at night or during peak overload times when energy is needed. Storing energy enables the grid to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Despite the good intent of BESS facilities, there is still risk. The world’s largest BESS, located in Moss Landing, Northern California, was the source of a major fire in January 2025. The fire sent poisonous chemicals into the air. Towering flames mixed with toxic fumes forced the evacuation of 1,200 residents within eight square miles of the battery facility.
After the fire, Moss Landing residents told Mercury News reporters they experienced eye irritation, respiratory complications and skin burning. They lived the same distance from that plant as Palomar students would be from the proposed facility.
California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control found cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese — heavy metals detected in lithium-ion batteries — at varying concentrations in soil samples taken at eight sites close to the Moss Landing battery facility as far as 5 miles away.
The surveys revealed concentrations of nickel, manganese and cobalt at levels 1,000 times higher than normal background amounts.
The urgency of this situation is all the more clear when you realize the impact of these toxic chemicals on the lungs. At high doses they can cause swelling, scarring and permanent lung damage, according to Dr. Steven Prager, an immunology and asthma specialist with Salinas Valley Health.
The Moss Landing fire burned for two weeks and was difficult to extinguish because water is ineffective against battery fires. This is due to a phenomenon known as “thermal runaway,” in which overheated batteries ignite and continue to spread flames. Since May 2024, there have been three BESS fires in San Diego County: in Valley Center, Escondido and Otay Mesa.
One of those fires occurred right in Escondido on Sept. 5, 2024, at San Diego Gas & Electric’s 30-megawatt, 120-megawatt-hour facility. It prompted the evacuation of nearly 500 nearby businesses.
Another fire broke out in Otay Mesa in May 2024 at the Gateway Energy Storage facility, operated by LS Power and its subsidiary, Rev Renewables. This 250-megawatt plant experienced multiple re-ignitions, and it took nearly 17 days before firefighting and air monitoring crews were dismissed.
To give you an idea of scale, the Otay Mesa plant that burnt for 17 days was 250 MW. The size of the proposed Seguro plant would be 320 MW, meaning it would be even larger than the plant in Otay Mesa.
These fires are not just chance. They are a virtual certainty. An EPRI chart showed from 2022 to 2025 there have been 21 failures in the United States alone.
Even stockholder reports put out by these companies acknowledge the likelihood of these fires. AES, the company proposing the Seguro facility, even includes a disclaimer noting that these types of plants can be damaged by fire.
If a fire at the Seguro plant were to break out and took the same amount of time to subside, Palomar College could be closed for more than two weeks. This is evidenced by the precautions required of residents just beyond the evacuation zone at Moss Landing. They were told to stay indoors, to keep their windows closed and refrain from using air conditioning.
Since Palomar’s campus is predominantly outdoors, following those same safety measures would be practically impossible. The school would have no choice but to close the campus and postpone in-person classes. Even before the college campus was to close, students and staff would stand a chance of inhaling life-threatening chemicals.
Students who are motivated to act can contact the County Board of Supervisors and tell them not to approve the Seguro battery energy storage system near Palomar College. You can also go to https://www.safeenergystorage.org/actnow/ to find out how to get more involved.
Here are the emails of the County Board of Supervisors:
Or show up at a County Board of Supervisors meeting and voice your concerns. Meetings are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Check the calendar on the county website to see specific dates meetings are held.
