Moss Landing

History

2025: Power Plant Fire

On January 16, 2025, a massive fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant in central California. As a result of the fire, residents of nearby areas had to evacuate from their homes.

Moss Landing is one of the world's largest battery storage sites. The power plant, located about 120 kilometers south of, San Francisco is owned by the Texas company Vistra Energy. Lithium-ion battery modules with a total capacity of 750 MW are located at the facility. power engineering specialists USA The ministry says these batteries play an important role in storing electricity that comes from renewable sources such as solar farms. However, in the event of a fire, lithium-ion batteries are extremely difficult to extinguish.

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Фото: edition.cnn.com

The fire broke out in a 300 MW energy storage unit. Staff at Vistra Energy sought help from the North Monterey County Fire Department. Due to the high complexity of the fire, the authorities declared a local emergency: all schools and offices were closed, and more than 2,000 people were notified of evacuation.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene recorded the fire of at least one battery pack. But due to the high intensity of the flame and the accumulation of overheated gases after an hour and a half, the conditions changed dramatically. The local firefighting system failed and the fire eventually engulfed the entire building with energy storage. The sheriff's office deployed drones to assess the severity of the situation and monitor air quality. Drone personnel showed that about 40% of the building housing lithium-ion batteries was completely destroyed by fire.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established, an investigation will begin after the fire is completely extinguished, Vistra Energy said.[1]

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