Port of Long Beach: Study Released for Pier S Battery Energy Storage System

Proposed project would strengthen grid capacity; public comment ends Jan. 17

The Port of Long Beach on Friday released a draft study examining a 70-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed by Pier S Energy Storage LLC, located on 2.9 acres of land on the Long Beach Power Plant property at 2665 Pier S Lane.

The proposed BESS facility would provide additional capacity in response to the California Public Utilities Commission’s mandate to strengthen reliability of the electric grid as the state transitions to renewable energy resources.

The study being released by the Port is called an Initial Study (IS), which concluded that there would be less than significant impacts to the environment with the incorporation of mitigation measures; therefore, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) has been prepared. The public can comment on the Draft IS/MND through 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. It is available at polb.com/ceqa.

The proposed project would install up to 200 individual metal containers, each containing lithium-ion battery cells, a direct current collection system, an alternating current for auxiliary power, a communications network, a fire suppression system, a power conversion system to connect the BESS, and a new 66-kilovolt (kV) substation to transform the voltage between the power conversion system and the substation transmission system. The property has been owned since 2021 by Generation Bridge, a subsidiary of ArcLight Energy Partners Fund.

The existing, 66-kV SCE Long Beach Bus Substation adjacent to the proposed project site to the north would also be upgraded. Additionally, the project proposes to demolish three buildings and sections of abandoned concrete saltwater intake pipes.

The Port will host two public meetings, each providing the same content. One will be in-person at 6 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2025 at the Port of Long Beach Administration Building’s 1st Floor Multipurpose Room, 415 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 90802. A second meeting will be held during a live webcast at 6 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2025. Join the meeting here. Meeting number: 2489 083 4283. Meeting password: 1234.

During each meeting, a presentation on the proposed project will be provided and comments will be solicited relative to the content of the Draft IS/MND and Application Summary Report. Meeting details are posted on the Port of Long Beach’s website at polb.com/ceqa.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners is expected to hold a public hearing at a later date to consider adoption of the Final IS/MND and Application Summary Report and approval of the proposed project.