Corby Battery Energy Storage System Project

North Bay Interconnect, LLC and Corby Energy Storage, LLC are proposing to construct and operate a 300-megawatt, 1,200-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system on a 40.3-acre site in Solano County, California, near Vacaville, with an Assessor’s Parcel Number of 0141-030-090. The facility will include battery modules, inverters, a dedicated substation, a supervisory control and data acquisition system, fencing, sound barriers, stormwater retention basins, a potential groundwater well, water tank, storage containers, and access roads. The system will connect to Pacific Gas and Electric’s Vaca-Dixon Substation via a 1.1-mile, 230-kilovolt generation tie line, with portions installed overhead and underground; the underground section will run parallel to and cross Kilkenny Road, while the overhead segments will use up to ten structures across private land and PG&E property. PG&E is concurrently upgrading the substation to accommodate the interconnection, including the installation of a new 230-kV double bus bay structure on approximately 0.6 acres. The project is subject to certification under California Energy Commission’s Opt-In Program under AB 205, which supersedes local zoning restrictions, as the site lies within an A-40 agricultural zone prohibited for front-of-the-meter BESS under Solano County’s ordinance. The construction period is estimated at 14 months, with the facility designed for unstaffed, remotely monitored operations and periodic maintenance. The project’s review and approval process is governed by the California Environmental Quality Act and requires comprehensive environmental documentation, including a Draft Environmental Impact Report that addresses impacts on air quality, biological resources, climate change, cultural and tribal resources, water resources, noise, visual resources, transportation, hazardous materials, and wildfire risk. Mitigation measures are required to reduce impacts to less-than-significant levels, with triggers for additional actions including the presence of Western Burrowing Owl and Crotch’s bumble bee, necessitating habitat conservation, incidental take authorization, and biological assessments. Water-related permits, including Section 401 Water Quality Certification and Clean Water Act Section 404 permits, are required, as is a Streambed Alteration Agreement under Fish and Game Code Section 1602. Third-party agreements with the Solano Irrigation District and Caltrans are mandatory for crossings under irrigation canals