The first battery energy storage system (BESS) officially opened Tuesday since a series of battery fires more than two years ago.
The Nighthawk Energy Storage Project was the culmination of nearly a decade of work, said Justin Johnson, CEO of Arevon, the owner and operator of the battery facility.
“It’s one of the largest battery projects in the country,” he said.
The Nighthawk facility has an output of 300 megawatt-hours and 1,200 megawatt-hours of storage capacity, enough to keep 385,000 homes running for up to four hours.
While the facility is contractually bound to supply energy to Pacific Gas and Electric in Northern California, Johnson said, it still contributes to grid reliability and reduces volatility in power prices.
“This project benefits residents, communities, consumers in the San Diego area directly,” he said.
Nighttime is when energy costs are highest because power generation relies on burning natural gas. This facility will offset some of those costs.
“It’s good for green energy,” said Eric Matz, CEO of Clerco Inc. He and his family own the property where the Nighthawk facility is located.
He said the land could have been developed for a variety of things, but the family wanted it to be something bigger.
“We wanted to see it be something that could be great for the environment, right? Green energy,” Matz said. “And this is what it's all about. So I'm super pleased to see what it's become.”
The facility was the first to come online since a series of BESS fires more than two years ago, bringing the safety hazards of these facilities to the forefront. In September 2023, the Valley Center Energy Storage Facility caught fire. In May 2024, a fire ignited at the Gateway Energy Storage facility in Otay Mesa. And the San Diego Gas & Electric battery facility in Escondido caught fire in September 2024.
Those fires were the reason some Poway residents opposed the project. Johnson said the Nighthawk facility is safer because of new technology. The facility uses 329 Tesla Megapack batteries.
“They're made of lithium-ion phosphate, which is the most resistant to thermal runaway,” he said. “We have a fire hydrant loop. We have a 12-to-14-foot wall. We have (infrared) cameras that are constantly surveying the facility to look for any sort of temperature differences.”
Engineers would be able to shut off any units that are overheating before they can ignite, he said, preventing any fires. In the event of a fire, each unit can extinguish it independently.
The facility is also expected to generate more than $30 million in property taxes over its lifetime, the company said.
