Fire at world’s largest lithium battery facility

A fire broke out at the world’s largest lithium battery storage facility near San Francisco Bay, forcing about 1,500 people to evacuate over fears of toxic gas.

A massive fire broke out on the afternoon of January 16 (morning of January 17, Hanoi time) at the Moss Landing battery plant in Monterey County, northern California, near San Francisco Bay. Local authorities had to block the highway and order the evacuation of about 1,500 people in the Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough areas.

The Vistra Energy plant, about 77 miles south of San Francisco, is one of the world’s largest battery facilities, housing tens of thousands of lithium-ion batteries used to store electricity from renewable sources such as solar power. When these batteries catch fire, the fire is difficult to extinguish due to the high temperatures and toxic gases produced.

Nicholas Pasculli, a spokesman for Monterey County, urged residents to obey evacuation orders and follow the instructions of firefighters. “Our priority is to protect people’s lives and property. Please leave the danger zone and go to a safe place,” he stressed.

A large plume of smoke from a fire at Vistra Energy’s Moss Landing battery plant near San Francisco Bay on the night of January 16. Photo: Mercury News

Monterey County Commissioner Glen Church called the fire “catastrophic” but said he hoped it would not spread beyond the concrete building housing the batteries. “We don’t think it’s a major fire hazard, but there are still a lot of batteries burning inside the building,” he said in an update.

Vistra said all employees at the scene were evacuated to safety and pledged to conduct an internal investigation.

This is not the first fire at the Moss Landing battery plant. Two fires broke out at the plant in 2021-2022, both caused by problems with the sprinkler system that caused some units to overheat. The cause of this fire is not yet known.

Similar fires have occurred at other battery storage plants in California, raising concerns about safety standards. Local authorities have tightened regulations in recent years, restricting the construction of battery storage plants near residential areas and schools.