Fire halts production at Californian battery storage facility

Experts are still assessing the consequences of the fire that ripped through the Moss Landing Vistra Power Plant in California last week. 

The fire started at the 300-megawatt Phase I energy storage system, one of the world’s largest lithium battery storage facilities, during Thursday January 16, causing an evacuation of the local area and part of Highway 1. 

Emergency crews, including the North County Fire Protection District and EPA specialists, were forced to allow the fire to burn out the following day, due to the risks involved in suppressing lithium battery fires with water. 

It is not the first time the facility’s batteries, which were expanded in 2023 to make it the largest storage site globally, have posed challenges. A previous fire occurred in 2022, raising ongoing questions about safety protocols and fire prevention measures.