2025 Legislative Victories Focus on Battery Storage Safety and Clean Energy Manufacturing  

Thanks to CSAEW coordinated advocacy efforts, IBEW came out the winners for several of our legislative priorities during the 2025 legislative session. Here is a summary of two of our key issues that were signed into law this past year: 

SB 283: Updated Fire Safety Standards for Battery Storage. This bill takes significant steps to strengthen the safety and reliability of California’s battery storage capacity as demands for grid resilience and renewable energy storage surges. This bill requires early engagement with local fire authorities, detailed emergency response planning, design compliance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855 standard, and mandatory safety inspections before operations begin. Battery storage project developers must now consult with local fire departments before submitting an application to address facility design, risk assessment, and emergency response planning. Systems with more than 600 kilowatt-hours of storage must be located either in noncombustible, dedicated-use buildings or as remote outdoor installations. These rules apply to both state and local permitting, ensuring consistent safety standards and oversight statewide. 

AB 1280: Clean Energy Manufacturing. AB 1280 will modernize California’s manufacturing sector by expanding incentive programs for the deployment of clean industrial equipment through the California Energy Commission’s Industrial Decarbonization and Improvement of Grid Operations grant program (INDIGO) and California’s IBank’s Climate Catalyst Fund. This bill will help California reach its ambitious carbon neutrality and clean electricity goals by promoting the deployment of zero-emissions equipment specifically in the industrial sector. The bill expands financial incentives for clean industrial equipment, including heat pumps and thermal energy storage systems. Eligible projects must meet labor standards, require payment of prevailing wages, prioritize disadvantaged communities suffering from high pollution, and encourage apprenticeship utilization.