Battery storage land in SDG&E’s service area

Start with the connection and the energy buyer

SDG&E’s Customer Generation overview separates transmission connections, wholesale distribution connections and customer-generation arrangements. It also asks who will buy the power. A battery project’s size alone does not tell you which route the developer is using.

Ask the company to name its proposed connection, applicant and energy buyer. Is it applying to CAISO, to SDG&E under its Wholesale Distribution Access Tariff, or through a customer-generation arrangement? Request a plain explanation of charging and export. The same property may be discussed in several ways before the design is settled; find out which design the land agreement actually supports.

An application reference should identify a particular request. Ask what has been submitted, what remains incomplete and whether the company has received a study result or only an acknowledgment. Keep connection records separate from a local permit, financing commitment or agreement to buy the battery’s output.

Reference: SDG&E: Customer Generation connection and energy-buyer routes

Check the document behind a request for your signature

The utility’s linked site-control documents come from different dates. The October 2024 guide and the later cluster-procedure materials describe different application percentages. The WDAT page also labels the August 2026 filing as approval pending. Ask which accepted procedure applies to the actual request rather than relying on a percentage copied from an older checklist.

Have the developer identify the particular filing requirement your agreement is meant to satisfy. Does it need an option, a lease or another exclusive right? What period must that right cover? Your adviser should compare that explanation with the document’s term, extensions and termination provisions.

Confirm the legal names and parcels before signing. A company’s trade name may differ from the entity making the application or promising to pay you. Ask who is responsible if those entities change, and what consent you retain over a transfer of your agreement.

Reference: SDG&E: WDAT notices, application resources and filing status · SDG&E: October 2024 site-control documentation guidelines · SDG&E: August 11, 2026 filed GIP, selected site-control and application sections

Review the project map and who receives your documents

SDG&E’s 2024 guidance calls for a project map and signed, unredacted land documents. Treat that as a reason to clarify the actual submission requirements and recipients before sending private agreements.

Ask for a map that distinguishes your land from neighboring land and any areas still being negotiated. Check the equipment, entrances, cable routes and temporary construction areas against the rights requested in your agreement. If the project depends on another owner’s parcel, ask what happens to your reservation while that parcel remains unresolved.

Discuss which documents the developer will send, to whom and for what purpose. Can your adviser review the submission package first? How will the company handle the records if its application is withdrawn or the land agreement ends? Keep title reports, account records and private agreements out of the initial website inquiry.

Reference: SDG&E: October 2024 site-control documentation guidelines

Use a project layout, not an acreage shortcut

The linked utility acreage sheet is guidance for documenting sufficient land. It is not a local zoning approval or a drawing of everything needed on your property.

Request a layout that includes access, equipment service space, drainage and any screening the actual reviewing authority requires. Ask which parts are preliminary and which have been checked against the parcel’s boundaries and existing uses. A small equipment footprint can still require rights across the rest of the property.

Identify the land you want to keep usable. Can you continue farming, storing equipment, renting a building or developing another portion? Have those retained uses shown on the map and addressed in the agreement. Discuss whether a later design change could enlarge the reserved area and whether it would require your approval.

Reference: SDG&E: posted site-control acreage guidance

Separate a public-land exception from your private agreement

SDG&E’s January 2026 regulatory-limitations guidance discusses certain public or trust-land delays in obtaining site control. It says private-land site control is typically documented through sale, lease or option agreements. Do not assume a developer can substitute a deposit for your private land rights simply because negotiations or construction permits take time.

If the developer mentions an exception, ask for the actual basis and utility response. Which land is affected? Does the claimed exception concern rights to occupy the site, or a different approval? Keep the answer tied to the specific request.

You can consider a project while approvals remain uncertain. What matters for your decision is how long the property would be tied up, what you receive during that period and how the reservation ends if the project cannot proceed.

Reference: SDG&E: January 2026 regulatory-limitations guidance

Keep application dates and your payments separate

At the October 7, 2026 check, SDG&E’s published September WDAT cluster window had passed. Its pages describe CAISO timing separately. Ask for a later official notice before treating a different application window as an extension.

Compare the company’s actual application schedule with the option term. If it asks for more time, what payment accompanies the extension? Who can approve it? Can the company extend automatically, and what happens if it misses a payment or stops responding?

Ask who bears study, application and consultant costs, including costs after withdrawal. A signature offered as filing authorization deserves the same review as the option itself. Your private payment terms should identify the amount, responsible entity and due date without requiring you to infer them from a utility deposit or study milestone.

To start a conversation with Sunland, send your contact information and property location through the inquiry form. Acreage and parcel details are optional. An inquiry does not reserve your land, file a utility application or commit you to development costs.

Reference: SDG&E: WDAT notices, application resources and filing status · SDG&E: August 11, 2026 filed GIP, selected site-control and application sections