Chino council overturns Planning Commission, approves 400-megawatt Dirac battery storage project on 4-1 vote
The City Council granted the developer's appeal Sept. 15 and introduced a development agreement that staff said would bring the city at least $10.6 million. Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Burton voted no.
The Chino City Council voted 4-1 on Sept. 15 to approve the Dirac Battery Energy Storage System, granting the developer's appeal of a Planning Commission vote that had blocked the project in July.
Council Member Christopher Flores made the motion and Council Member Marc Lucio seconded it. Mayor Eunice M. Ulloa and Council Member Karen C. Comstock also voted yes. Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Burton voted no, according to the action record posted on Legistar.
The motion adopted Resolution No. 2026-061, which approves a special conditional use permit and site approval. It also introduced Ordinance No. 2026-013, which would approve a development agreement with the developer.
What was approved
The staff report describes a 400-megawatt facility using lithium-iron phosphate batteries on about 13.89 acres. It would include a building for operations and maintenance, a substation on the site and a 230-kilovolt line linking it to Southern California Edison's Chino Substation next door.
On July 15, a Planning Commission motion for approval failed 3-4, the report says. Dirac BESS LLC filed its appeal July 24.
Under the development agreement, the report says, the developer would make two $3 million community benefit payments, one after building permits are issued and one after a certificate of occupancy. It would pay $600,000 more toward firefighting and emergency preparedness.
The agreement also guarantees the city no less than $4 million from sales and use tax and development impact fees together. Staff put the total at $10.6 million or more.
Safety conditions and the state alternative
The report says fire safety was the main issue raised at the Planning Commission. Conditions added since then require continuous monitoring of carbon monoxide and air quality in each battery enclosure and along the site perimeter, and yearly third-party training in emergency response for fire district personnel, paid for by the developer.
The fire district would also have to approve in writing any change in battery chemistry.
Staff told the council that if the appeal were denied, the developer could turn to the California Energy Commission for a state permit under its Opt-In Certification Program. That route replaces local permits. In that case, the report says, the development agreement with the city would be eliminated.
At the hearing
The meeting record lists speakers on both sides. Supporters listed in the record included speakers identified with I.B.E.W. 477, Iron Workers 416 and 533, Breathe Southern California and the Coalition for Clean Air. The record also lists residents who spoke in opposition and notes that a 30-minute limit on comment for the item was reached.
According to the record, Burton cited possible public health effects, the system's reliability in a fire and the absence of round-the-clock on-site monitoring.
The record says Fire Chief Dave Williams told the council the Chino Valley Fire District "feels well prepared for this project."
The ordinance was introduced, not adopted, on Sept. 15. The council's Oct. 6 agenda listing on Legistar shows "Adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-013" as Item 9.