Fire at California’s Moss Landing battery plant triggers evacuation

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.
Screenshot from a video posted on the official Facebook account of County of Monterey, California. | Image: County of Monterey, Facebook

A fire was confirmed at the 750 MW/3,000 MWh Vistra battery energy storage facility in Moss Landing on Thursday, forcing evacuations and closing roads in the area.

The fire erupted at the facility around 3 p.m., and evacuation orders were issued by 6:30 p.m. due to concerns over hazardous materials and potential chemical releases, the sheriff’s office spokesperson said. About 1,500 were impacted by the evacuation orders, Monterey County Spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli told local reporters.

All Vistra employees, law and fire personnel are safe, per the County of Monterey. Firefighters are on the scene, waiting for the fire to burn out on its own.

It is yet to be determined how the blaze started, but Vistra Energy said in a statement to local news that the fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility.

The company said: “There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site. Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.

“Earlier this afternoon, Vistra personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant site. All site personnel were safely evacuated.

“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.”

A spokesperson with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office told local reporters that 40% of the battery storage system has burned.

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  • Marija has years of experience in a news agency environment and writing for print and online publications. She took over as the editor of pv magazine Australia in 2018 and helped establish its online presence over a two-year period.

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