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New codes to protect Sun City area residents

Rules address battery storage facilities

Posted 10/15/19

Surprise was rocked by an explosion April 19 when a battery story unit owned by Arizona Public Service erupted in a fireball that left city and utility industry officials reeling.

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New codes to protect Sun City area residents

Rules address battery storage facilities

Posted

Surprise was rocked by an explosion April 19 when a battery story unit owned by Arizona Public Service erupted in a fireball that left city and utility industry officials reeling.

A much larger facility is planned by Invenergy officials for a Youngtown location south of Olive Avenue between 111th Avenue and the QuikTrip gas station and convenience store. The Surprise incident has Youngtown and Sun City Fire and Medical Department officials concerned enough to be taking precautions to try and prevent a repeat of a similar accident.

A Surprise Fire Department investigation into the incident remains incomplete, according to Jim Fox, Sun City fire marshal.

“The Surprise battery storage unit did not have a permit, except for the chain link fence around it,” said Mr. Fox. “Surprise Fire Department did not know about the facility and what it was.”

To avoid a similar incident, SCFMD officials are preparing to adopt new codes. Mr. Fox briefed the Sun City Fire District Board of Directors about the codes and the board was expected to adopt them at its regular business meeting 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the district administrative office, 18602 N. 99th Ave. The board adopted the codes and a new fee structure, which initiated a 30-day public comment period. A public hearing will be conducted at the next fire board meeting, 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, before the codes are considered for final adoption.

While the board was to consider a variety of codes — fire, building, mechanical and others — for the 2018 cycle, they are also including amendments being developed specifically for battery storage for the 2021 cycle.

“Technology has advanced so quickly that battery storage was not a consideration in previous cycles,” Mr. Fox said.

The International Code Council revises codes on a three-year cycle. SCFMD adopted new codes in 2009 and 2012, and are now preparing to adopt 2018 revisions. Mr. Fox said SCFMD did not adopt the 2015 cycle because they believed it did not spell out enough detail.

SCFMD officials are working with Youngtown leaders to help make the Invenergy facility as safe as possible.

“We can make this safe,” Mr. Fox said. “We already have certain conditions as part of their use permit with the town of Youngtown.”

Invenergy officials are in full cooperation, according to Susan Innis, Invenergy senior manager for renewable development.
“We have agreed to follow all the codes that are put in place,” she told the SCFMD board during its Oct. 8 meeting.

She added the global sustainable energy company, which completed 146 worldwide projects, has time to adjust its plans for the Youngtown facility according to the codes. Invenergy officials plan to seek permits in the spring of 2020, start construction in 2021 with an expected completion in summer 2021.

“These facilities will be built, so we need to regulate them,” Mr. Fox said.

Representatives of fire departments in Sun City, Surprise, Peoria and Phoenix worked together to write the codes under consideration for adoption, according to Mr. Fox.

“One of the codes will give us the authority to check their buildings at any time to see any changes that are made,” Mr. Fox explained. “That way, we’ll all know what’s in the building and how it works.”

He also said one of the features of the planned Invenergy facility was that each battery will be individually monitored. If one begins to generate too much heat, the entire system will be shut down.

The Surprise explosion raised concerns among energy utility officials nationwide, especially regarding energy storage.

“The question of how you manage these things safely, when you’ve got thousands of these cells in close proximity, that’s still a work in progress,” Donald Sadoway, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and an expert in battery technology, told Utility Dive, an industry website.

APS, the largest investor-owned utility in Arizona, has been a leader in the procurement of energy storage. In February, the utility announced it will add 850 MW of battery storage and at least 100 MW of solar generation by 2025. Despite the incident at its McMicken facility, the utility plans to follow through with its plans.

“As far as we are concerned, we know that energy storage, including batteries, is vital to a clean energy future. We will continue with our plans to add clean energy projects to our system,” Lily Quezada, APS spokesperson, told Utility Dive. “[It] is a breakthrough technology that is solving important issues and challenges. We are still committed to our plans.”

The fire at its storage facility in Surprise was not the first such incident for APS. A 1.5-megawatt system near Flagstaff also caught fire in 2012. APS officials said they took several key design lessons from the 2012 fire, including improving air ventilation between cabinets, incorporating a 24/7 monitoring system and the ability to send remote alarms, according to the Utility Dive article.

Another concern included in the new codes is Co2 containers in restaurants, fast food shops and convenience stores. The tanks are used for carbination in soft drinks and most businesses are switching to a liguid Co2 system that needs refilled less frequently. But the liquid is so cold it could create leaks in the plastic hoses. One such incident at a Phoenix McDonald’s left one pregnant employee and two firefighters sick and coughing due to Co2 exposure.

The codes will require Co2 detection devices near the tanks and mechanical ventilation for the rooms where they are store, according to Mr. Fox.

The new codes, when adopted, will also require all buildings to allow emergency radio communications inside. This could require some facilities, like Banner Boswell Medical Center, 10401 W. Thunderbird Blvd., to install communication systems that allow radio connectivity throughout the building.

“There are some buildings — and Boswell is one of them — where you can connect by radio with your command or personnel outside from one side of the building but not from the other,” Mr. Fox said.

If the codes are approved, they will be retroactive, meaning there will be no grandfathering for businesses and agenciees out of compliance.

“That will be a good thing, because communication is very important for emergency responders,” said Walter Link, Sun City Fire District board member.