A fire broke out yesterday (16 January) at the Moss Landing facility which houses what was once the world’s largest BESS, owned by Vistra Energy, in California, US.
A statement from utility Vistra Energy late yesterday, cited widely by local outlets, said that a fire had broken out at the Moss Landing Power Plant site which houses the 750MW/3,000MWh Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility battery energy storage system (BESS), alongside a natural gas plant also owned by Vistra.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s office also confirmed a fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, and local highways were cleared and residential areas evacuated.
Media cited a Vistra spokesperson saying that emergency responders were called after a fire was detected at the 300MW Phase I portion of the BESS project, which was built in three phases reaching full capacity in August 2023.
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The incident is not a ‘current incident’ on the website of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) but the evacuation order around the site still appears to be in place.
The County of Monterey meanwhile still has a current emergency alert for the site up, but doesn’t list it as a current emergency incident: “Due to an ongoing large fire in Moss Landing, Monterey County Health officials are advising residents to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, limit outdoor exposure, and turn off ventilation systems. Monitor local news and social media for additional updates. Further information will be provided as the situation changes.”
An adjoining site houses the separate 182.5MW/730MWh Elkhorn Battery BESS project, owned by utility and transmission and generation operator PG&E.
It is not the first time the Moss Landing BESS plant has suffered from fire safety issues. Both of the first two phases, totalling 400MW/1,600MWh, were taken offline in early 2022 after overheating incidents – though that was found to be due to a faulty sprinkler system responding to smoke from an air handling unit.
After this article was published, Energy-Storage.news received statements from both Vistra Energy and PG&E, which read as follows:
Vistra Energy
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.
Thursday 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.
PG&E
The safety of our customers, coworkers, contractors and the communities we serve is PG&E’s top priority.
Around 3:15 P.M. Thursday (1/16) PG&E became aware of a fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County.
The Moss Landing power plant and the battery energy storage system onsite at the power plant are owned and operated by Vistra.
This is NOT a PG&E incident but we have engaged with local first responders and Vistra to assist as needed.
Please reach out to Vistra or to the North County Fire Department for more information.
