Frequently Asked Questions
The Seahawk Energy Project is an energy storage project proposed to be located in the College Lake area of the Pajaro Valley that will store and provide clean energy to California’s electricity grid, while strengthening local grid reliability and resilience. The project will contribute a critical piece of infrastructure that will help California’s ongoing evolution to clean, renewable energy that will replace carbon-based energy sources.
The project stores clean energy for use during peak demand periods, reducing the chance of rolling blackouts and “public safety power shutoffs.”
The proposed site is at 90 Minto Road, Watsonville.
New Leaf Energy is a national renewable energy development company that develops valuable battery energy storage, solar and wind projects. The company is leading the industry to a decarbonized future.
A battery will be charged by the existing electricity grid during peak solar hours.
California is an energy-progressive state with specific goals to create long-term, sustainable energy solutions for residents and businesses.
There is a statewide effort to expand energy storage projects to store renewable energy, such as wind and solar. This enables everyone – municipalities, energy companies, residents and businesses – to be more resilient during periods when energy is in high demand and prevents rolling blackouts. During periods of high demand, battery systems, such as the proposed Seahawk Energy Project, can be available to provide much-needed energy resilience to the grid.
Absolutely. The project is being proposed through the County of Santa Cruz. Public input is vital to the process. In addition to a meeting held in December 2024 for neighbors, there will be other opportunities for community input as the project moves through the approval process. Ultimate authority in this process rests with the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Yes. The Seahawk Energy Storage project features safety measures that follow the very latest California guidelines and legislation. In contrast with older systems that have experienced significant safety issues (such as the Jan. 17, 2025, fire at Moss Landing), Seahawk includes new technology battery units that are housed within purpose-built, sealed, steel containers that meet national fire safety standards and testing.
Each container will feature on-board heat monitoring and specialized fire suppression systems, and each container will be physically separated by a buffer zone of several feet, consistent with the most updated California Fire Codes for energy storage systems. In addition, the batteries planned for Seahawk will utilize lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which is much more stable than the currently widely deployed nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry.
This approach has been proven safe through the use of large-scale real world testing, as well as simulations. There have been no reported fires in California that feature the system proposed for the Seahawk project.
Yes. The project is being planned in collaboration with the Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District, Watsonville Fire Department and CALFIRE, with input from other nearby fire protection agencies, to ensure it meets or exceeds all relevant fire regulations.
Yes. Senate Bill 38, authored by Senator John Laird, established protocols to protect the health and well-being of workers and surrounding communities. Specifically, SB 38 requires the development of an emergency response plan, to be created in close coordination with local emergency response agencies and submitted to local government, as well as a notification and communication procedure.
No. In the unlikely event of a battery fire, the fire would be limited to a single container (8ft wide x 8ft tall x 20 ft long). Each container includes an on-board fire suppression system that utilizes advanced aerosol-based fire suppression systems, not water. Water may be used to spray adjacent, unaffected battery containers to ensure they stay cool.
No. The ground underneath the project site will be lined by an impermeable barrier. There will be a retention basin to collect any accumulated water, which will be subject to water quality testing. Only after being deemed safe will any water be released from the property.
No, for three primary reasons: 1) the Seahawk project will feature a small fraction of the number batteries housed together as compared to Moss Landing, 2) Seahawk will use advanced fire suppression systems that don’t use water, and 3) Seahawk will use new-generation chemistry that is more stable and less prone to fire.
The fire at Moss Landing was a tragic disaster that never should have happened. The Vistra facility that burned could not be approved/permitted today. The Moss Landing fire involved 100,000 batteries warehoused in a single, indoor space, approximately 80% of which burned. For the Seahawk project, thanks to sealed steel outdoor containers that are separated from each other by several feet, only 40 batteries will be housed together.
Sodium-ion represents a promising future approach to battery storage systems. However, there are no sodium-ion battery options that are currently viable for battery energy storage projects that are “grid scale,” meaning the ability to support the electricity grid that supplies power to customers. Sodium-ion batteries are not expected to be commercially available for grid scale use for approximately 10 years.
The Seahawk Energy Project will provide 200 megawatts of energy.
The project will use prevailing wage/local union labor and will provide 50 full-time jobs during construction and 5 permanent jobs during operation.
Construction typically takes about 12 months. Hours of construction will occur during normal business hours, or whatever is mandated by the County. Most of the construction does not involve heavy machinery.
The Green Valley substation is the only viable site for grid-scale battery storage in Santa Cruz County. Other sites that are adjacent to a PG&E substation lack available land, requiring lengthy, overhead transmission lines with associated community and environmental impacts. There are also a limited number of substations on the California Independent System Operator's electricity grid that can interconnect with a battery storage system as proposed with the Seahawk project. The Green Valley substation on Minto Rd. is one such substation and it was recently upgraded by PG&E, saving costs for California ratepayers to implement the project.
New Leaf Energy will actively protect its battery from outside damage. The system will be surrounded by a sound wall, the energy storage cabinets and site access will be locked at all times, and there will be 24/7 security monitoring. Only necessary operations and emergency personnel will have access.