Moss Landing-adjacent battery facility set for restart amid safety concerns

Utility company Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has announced plans to restart operations at the Elkhorn 182.5 MW/730 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) facility in Moss Landing as soon as June 1. 

This follows a catastrophic fire at the Moss Landing facility on January 16, the 750 MW/3,000 MWh BESS sitting adjacent to Elkhorn.

Situated almost 80km south of San Francisco, the Moss Landing facility is operated by Vistra Energy, a Texas-based energy company with a long-term resource adequacy agreement with PG&E.

The Elkhorn facility was immediately shut down following the Moss Landing fire. Elkhorn, commissioned in April 2022, is no stranger to fire danger, having caught ablaze in September 2022. PG&E operates the four-hour battery storage BESS, with Tesla Megapacks providing the storage.

While PG&E intends to resume operations as early as next month, recovery efforts at Moss Landing are ongoing. Vistra Energy says it is working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove undamaged batteries from the Moss 300 building. Damaged battery cleanup will not begin until the building structure is fully stabilized.

Monterey County officials have urged PG&E and Vistra to postpone reopening both Moss Landing and Elkhorn. The county is still reviewing an emergency action plan it wants finalized before operations resume.

“At this time, the county feels it is prudent to encourage PG&E to delay reactivation and continue to engage in additional open, transparent dialogue with county officials, first responders, and the residents we collectively serve,” the statement said.

In a letter to county officials earlier this month, PG&E argued that Elkhorn should reopen quickly.

“The Elkhorn Facility, as constructed, allows for efficient storage and use of power. As summer approaches, it helps strengthen the reliability of the California power grid and protects PG&E’s customers from power limitations and related impacts,” the letter stated.

Following the Moss Landing fire, the Environmental Health Bureau launched a GIS-based data dashboard to provide real-time air, water, and soil quality data. Community concerns remain pertaining to elevated air and soil contaminants. The Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire Dashboard can be freely viewed.

Vistra expects to write off around $400 million in depreciation following the January fire but anticipates recovering much of it through insurance.