Fire at PG&E’s Tesla battery storage facility in Moss Landing under control, authorities lift closures

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

A fire at PG&E’s Tesla-supplied Elkhorn Battery energy storage system at Moss Landing, California, is considered fully controlled and road closures and shelter-in-place advisories have been lifted.

A statement from the County of Monterey authority, where the system is located, said that a fire at the plant started at 2am local time on 20 September (yesterday).

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The fire was isolated to a single battery pack and led to the closure of Highway 1 from Molera to Jensen Road and local residents were advised to shelter in place with windows closed, due to the risk of hazardous materials.

A statement later that evening, 7.18 pm local time, said the incident was considered fully controlled and the North County Fire Department and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office had lifted the shelter in place advice and all road closures due to the incident, effective 6.50 pm.

The statement added that smoke could still occur and residents were being advised to remain vigilant.

CNBC quoted a captain of the fire department who said it was too early to know the cause of the incident.

PG&E commissioned the Elkhorn Battery, a 182.5MW/730MWh BESS which uses Tesla Megapacks, in April this year.

It is not to be confused with the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility, a 400MW/1,600MWh BESS which is located at the same site but is an entirely separate system owned by Vistra Energy, but also providing power to PG&E. That project came back online in July after several months offline due to an overheating incident.

Read Next

June 5, 2025
According to the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP’s) Q1 2025 market report, US clean power deployment totalled 7.4GW.
Premium
June 5, 2025
The California Energy Commission (CEC) held a public information meeting for Engie’s Compass project that drew huge interest.
Premium
June 3, 2025
California CCA SDCP has amended the terms of two power purchase agreements relating to the two largest solar-plus-storage projects in its portfolio.
June 2, 2025
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has launched a US$280 million initiative to help low-income residents of the state install battery storage and solar panel systems.
May 30, 2025
Zinc hybrid cathode battery and storage system maker Eos has secured an order with Faraday Microgrids to deploy a 3MW/15MWh system on tribal land in California, US.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter