Goleta Pauses Battery Storage Proposal Pending Citywide Study
Goleta's Planning Commission has put a pause on plans to build a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) by Scale Microgrids, LLC on Viajero Drive. The decision delays the project until April 2027, awaiting the completion of a citywide study…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 29, 2026 —
Goleta’s Planning Commission has paused plans for a proposed Battery Energy Storage System by Scale Microgrids, LLC on Viajero Drive, delaying the project until April 2027 while a citywide study on locations for utility-scale battery storage facilities is completed.
The pause links the project’s timeline to the study, which is intended to examine appropriate locations for this type of facility across the city. The information provided does not specify when the study began, who is conducting it or when it is expected to be completed beyond the stated April 2027 delay.
The project’s proposed capacity, cost, construction schedule and current permit status were not provided. The details of the Planning Commission’s decision, including whether it imposed conditions or set a date for further review, were also not provided. No statements from the commission, the city or Scale Microgrids were included.
As a result, the available information establishes that the proposal is on hold pending the citywide study, but does not describe the project’s design or the criteria that will be used to assess possible locations. It also does not say whether the study will determine the project’s eventual outcome or what steps may follow its completion.
The proposal’s next stated timeline marker is April 2027. Further information about the study’s findings or any subsequent commission action was not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Elaine Sanders on www.independent.com, see more information here.
