JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Vistra's battery storage facility goes up in flames, spurs evacuation orders

Vistra's battery storage facility goes up in flames, spurs evacuation orders

Saturday, January 18, 2025, 11:57 GMT+7
Vistra's battery storage facility goes up in flames, spurs evacuation orders
Burning fire at the site of Vistra Corp's power plant in Moss Landing, California, U.S., January 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters

One of the world's largest battery storage facilities -- Vistra Corp's 3000-megawatt in Moss Landing, south of San Francisco -- continues to be on fire as of Friday, a day after it went up in flames.

The blaze, whose cause remains under investigation, is expected to remain contained to the building.

The fire is nowhere near the Los Angeles-area wildfires.

Fire Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire District said at this point, most of the fire had gone out. He was speaking at a press conference held by the County of Monterey.

"We have very little active flame (and) we have very little products of combustion being put out into the atmosphere," he added.

A water-based mitigation system did not work as designed, Vistra's senior director of community affairs Brad Watson said at the conference.

"Part of what we will be doing is studying and investigating why that didn't work as designed. And that will be one of the many, many questions we will be going through to find out what happened here," Watson added.

Earlier in the day, a Monterey Sheriff official had said there were no active fire suppression efforts going on, "as the best approach, according to fire staff, is to allow the building and batteries to burn."

Both Vistra and the county official said that all site personnel had been evacuated and no injuries were reported. The fire had also prompted evacuation of places nearby.

Vistra has not yet released any statement on potential financial impact from the fire or any timeline on recovery efforts.

Vistra did not immediately respond to a request seeking details on its investigation.

An adjacent Tesla battery facility was not affected by the fire, the official added.

The impact of the ongoing fire on the energy storage sector and the supply chain remains unclear.

Lithium-ion batteries have solidified their position as the technology of choice in the electric vehicle market, and the market for these batteries is projected to keep growing at about 30 percent annually.

Reuters

More

Read more

China's population falls for a third consecutive year

China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years

1 day ago
;

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Latest news