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Another fire burning at battery storage facility in Moss Landing

September 18, 2026

Artist rendering of proposed Morro Bay battery storage facility

By KAREN VELIE

A fire is burning at the Vistra lithium-ion battery storage facility in Moss Landing leading Monterey County to recommend residents close their windows and doors and turn off their air systems.Residents are asked to shelter in place.

Shortly after 7 a.m., the Monterey County’s North County Fire Protection District sent out an alert about the fire burning at the facility off Highway 1.

In 2025, a large fire at the Vistra battery storage facility resulted in the evacuations of thousands of residents.

For years, research scientists at San José State University’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories have monitored marsh soil properties as part of a program for the Elkhorn Slough estuary.

Soil tests performed following the 2025 fire showed a dramatic increase in nickel, manganese and cobalt, was found. Scientists studied soils in an approximately two-miles radius of the Vistra battery storage facility.

Vistra had planned to construct and operate a 600-megawatt battery storage facility in Morro Bay. However, mutiple residents voiced concerns the facility will endanger the public while negatively impacting tourism and the fishing industry.

In Oct. 2025, Vistra Energy informed the California Energy Commission it is no longer “advancing the project.” A month earlier, Vista withdrew its application from the California Independent System Operator queue.

 


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5 Comments

Betcha Vistra started this one for the insurance money! lol

And hopefully another nail in the coffin of windmill / Bess garbage


1

I’m sure you all know, and were just about to point out, that moss landing is one of the oldest battery facilities that uses archaic battery technology and the new plants, like the one Morro Bay would have gotten, use lithium iron phosphate batteries that essentially can’t burn. If you were against the MB plant and don’t know what I am talking about it explains a lot about the state of our country.


-2

Which is why i opposed BESS when i ran for city council:

https://lawnews.tv/support-for-bess-wanes-biden-orders-morro-bay-plant-converted-to-crematorium/


-1

(IIRC, i was the only candidate clearly opposing it.)


0

Don’t worry, Dawn Addis will voice “concerns” on our behalf. Put away your pitchforks.


-1