Why the La Mesa Project Became a Flashpoint for Battery Storage Siting
Siting battery storage near communities is one of the biggest challenges facing the clean energy transition today. The La Mesa energy storage project in California proves just how high the stakes are when fire safety, transparency, and trust collide.
This isn’t just a story about one project that stalled. It’s a blueprint for what goes wrong when emerging grid technologies meet real neighborhoods, and what we can do to get it right next time.
The La Mesa BESS Project: Ambitious Vision Meets Local Challenges
Project Location and Purpose
In 2023, EnerSmart Storage proposed building an 18-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) in the city of La Mesa, California. The goal was to install 21 containerized battery units on a vacant, fenced-in half-acre lot on El Paso Street, right next to the SDG&E Murray substation.
This wasn’t a speculative project. The plan aligned with California’s broader push to decarbonize its power grid. With a total storage capacity of 36 megawatt-hours, the system would have helped store excess solar and wind energy and discharge it during peak demand, reducing the risk of blackouts and improving grid resilience for thousands of homes.
Its strategic location near a substation made technical sense. But just on the other side of that fence were backyards, a shopping center, and an elementary school within blocks. That’s where the friction began.
Key Technical Specs
The project would have used lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, known for its thermal stability and long cycle life. It was containerized, meaning each battery unit was housed in its own metal enclosure with built-in fire detection and suppression. The site design included a six-foot masonry perimeter wall, underground interconnection, native landscaping, and automated controls for remote operation.
EnerSmart emphasized that LFP chemistry lacks cobalt, emits no fumes under normal operation, and is considered safer than older lithium-ion variants. Still, to the residents living just 30 feet uphill, none of those assurances felt close enough to comfort.
Claimed Benefits
EnerSmart and city staff presented the project as a win for clean energy and local reliability. It would reduce reliance on fossil fuels, support California’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045, and provide crucial balancing services to the grid operator (CAISO).
It was a system designed to be silent most of the time. No traffic. No daily staff. No emissions. Just a smart battery behind a fence, silently protecting the local grid from demand spikes.
But that wasn’t the only narrative taking hold.
What Delayed and Eventually Canceled the Project?
Community Opposition: Safety, Transparency, and Trust
As soon as nearby residents found out about the project, organized resistance took hold. A local Facebook group launched. A Change.org petition gained over 1,100 signatures. Concerned residents packed a community town hall to capacity.
The fears centered on three core issues: fire risk, toxic gas release, and lack of transparency.
People had good reason to worry. In 2024, a battery fire at the Gateway project in Otay Mesa burned for nearly two weeks. That system was many times larger than La Mesa’s, but the images of thick black smoke and emergency evacuations lingered in the public consciousness. What if something similar happened in their neighborhood?
Nearby homeowners raised concerns that the site lacked a sufficient buffer zone. Some asked whether local firefighters had the equipment or training to handle a battery thermal runaway. Others worried about how their kids’ school would respond to a toxic plume scenario. One resident said plainly: “No one has taught our teachers how to shelter in place from hydrogen fluoride.”
Even though EnerSmart emphasized the system’s advanced safety features and compliance with updated California fire codes, fear persisted. LFP chemistry may be safer than traditional lithium-ion, but for many residents, the word “battery” still invoked images of explosion risk, toxic smoke, and long burn durations.
Transparency, or the lack of it, also drove opposition. Residents said they found out about the project from a small notice taped to a pole, not through outreach. Some described having to take time off work just to access the plans. The perception that something was being hidden fueled mistrust, even as EnerSmart made attempts to answer questions.
Legislative and Political Factors
The city of La Mesa found itself caught between supporting its Climate Action Plan and responding to public outrage. Councilmember Laura Lothian took a strong stance against the project, calling it incompatible with residential life and urging city leadership to find a different location.
City staff, for their part, maintained that the project was allowed under existing zoning and would follow all applicable fire safety regulations, including California SB 38 and the 2022 Fire Code Chapter 12. The fire department’s leadership also committed to reviewing the emergency response plans in detail.
At the county and state level, momentum was building for stronger oversight of BESS development. San Diego County explored setback requirements. State lawmakers considered legislation that would pause or slow approvals for battery sites near homes.
Meanwhile, pressure mounted locally. Petitions, press coverage, and council meetings kept the issue in the spotlight.
Technical and Infrastructure Constraints
Then came a different kind of obstacle: the grid itself.
The project was ultimately canceled because of transmission constraints. After studies and modeling, SDG&E determined that connecting the 18 MW system to the local grid would not be viable without upgrades.
In short, the grid couldn’t support what the project wanted to deliver. Even if community concerns had been resolved, the infrastructure wasn’t ready.
The combination of public resistance, local politics, and interconnection limitations was enough to halt progress. What started as a promising clean energy project ended quietly, a cautionary tale for developers, regulators, and communities alike.
How EticaAG Can Help Similar Projects Succeed
Addressing Fire Safety at the Root
At EticaAG, we believe fire safety isn’t just about controlling a blaze after it starts. It’s about designing systems that prevent ignition in the first place.
That’s why our battery storage systems use LiquidShield Immersion Cooling. Unlike traditional air or liquid cooling systems that react to rising heat, immersion cooling submerges battery cells in a non-conductive, fire-inhibiting fluid. This approach neutralizes hotspots before they become dangerous.
Thermal runaway, the chain reaction that can lead to battery fires, is virtually impossible under immersion. Heat is absorbed instantly. Cells are uniformly cooled. The conditions required for ignition are never allowed to form.
In a community like La Mesa, where fear of fire dominated the conversation, this kind of design makes a difference. It doesn’t just meet code. It changes the conversation.
Toxic Gas Mitigation: A Core Concern for Communities
When batteries burn, they can release gases like hydrogen fluoride and volatile organic compounds. That’s what makes battery fires so concerning. It’s not just the flame, it’s the plume.
EticaAG’s HazGuard system was built to confront this exact risk. It actively detects, contains, and neutralizes off-gassing before it becomes a danger to people nearby. Integrated gas sensors, liquid capture systems, and AI-driven monitoring work together to ensure that even in worst-case conditions, communities are protected.
Residents near the La Mesa site asked what would happen if a battery vented gas 30 feet from their backyard. With HazGuard in place, we can offer an answer that’s rooted in containment, not cleanup.
Transparent Safety by Design
Communities don’t just want to hear that something is safe. They want to see how it works and understand the safeguards in place.
Immersion cooling and gas containment are inherently visible safety layers. With EticaAG systems, each container operates in isolation, with its own suppression and shutdown capability. There’s no reliance on overhead sprinklers or external cooling. There’s no assumption that “it won’t happen here.”
This kind of safety architecture builds confidence. It empowers fire departments with clear response protocols and gives city officials something tangible to point to during public hearings.
In neighborhoods where trust matters, transparent engineering wins.
Lower Noise, Lower Footprint, Higher Trust
Noise is one of the most overlooked friction points in BESS projects. Even systems that pass decibel tests can feel disruptive if they operate constantly or inconsistently.
Immersion cooling significantly reduces the strain on HVAC systems. Because the coolant directly absorbs heat at the cell level, the system requires less aggressive airflow and fewer high-speed fans. The result is lower auxiliary load, which translates into less operational noise and a reduced impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
For developers looking to site projects near residential or mixed-use zones, this matters. A quieter system is a more welcome neighbor. That gives cities more flexibility and developers more options.
Lessons from La Mesa: What Developers and Cities Must Do Differently
Prioritize Community Engagement Early
Engagement is not an afterthought. It’s a core part of project viability.
If residents find out about a project from a pole sign, that’s a red flag. Developers need to hold info sessions, present fire mitigation strategies in plain language, and allow time for questions before formal approvals are underway.
Being transparent about risks, and even more transparent about how those risks are mitigated, is the only way to build trust.
Plan Grid Interconnection Upfront
Technical feasibility matters as much as permitting. If the grid can’t handle your project, everything else falls apart.
Developers should be working closely with utilities from day one, modeling load impacts and identifying pinch points. Getting that right early can save months, if not years, of lost time and public frustration.
Push for Policy That Balances Safety and Speed
California is leading the way on clean energy. But policy needs to match innovation.
Local governments can support faster approvals by offering streamlined paths for systems that go beyond minimum safety standards. At the same time, state agencies can help standardize siting criteria to avoid project-by-project confusion.
EticaAG supports thoughtful legislation that raises the bar for BESS safety, because we’ve already built to exceed it.
Rethink Where and How Systems Are Built
Sometimes, the problem is the location.
Cities may need to evaluate new zones for storage, allow rooftop or substation-mounted systems, or develop shared battery infrastructure with built-in public benefits. Developers can explore smaller distributed systems, integrated building storage, or community-scale batteries with local partnerships.
Technology like immersion cooling makes these options more viable by reducing the risks that drive community resistance.
Looking Ahead: The Path to Community-Friendly Battery Storage
The La Mesa project may be on pause, but the need for battery storage isn’t going away. In fact, it’s growing faster than ever.
What’s changing is how we site, design, and explain these systems. Clean energy projects now live on the front lines of community trust. That means the old safety assumptions—sprinklers, fans, “unlikely to happen”—aren’t enough.
EticaAG is building for that reality. Our immersion-cooled, gas-mitigated battery systems don’t just meet standards. They reflect what communities are asking for: safer designs, quieter footprints, and clearer communication.
Because the transition to clean energy can’t leave trust behind.
Partner with EticaAG for Safer Storage
If you’re planning a battery storage project, or reconsidering one that stalled, EticaAG can help you move forward with confidence. Our technology addresses the fire and gas concerns that stall projects like La Mesa. We build systems designed to prevent, not just contain.
Let’s work together to make clean energy infrastructure safer, smarter, and ready for every neighborhood.
Reach out to our team to learn more about how EticaAG supports developers, cities, and communities.
