The BESS Moss Landing Power Plant Fire – Tech’s Wake-Up Call

Guest post by Sarah Aminoff of Safe Tech International

Lithium Power Plant Russian Roulette:
Do you know about emerging issues with Battery Energy Storage Systems coming soon to a neighborhood near you?
Did you know that residents are reporting health issues following the fires?
Do you know that there are BESS fires occurring every month?
Did you know that they re-ignite in rain and wind?
Did you know that retrofitted facilities are housing new BESS installations, (which contributed to the inability to manage the Moss Landing fire?)
Is this a green sustainable solution? Should these facilities be placed in environmentally sensitive areas, near farmland and endangered species? Should this technology bypass environmental review in order to expedite reaching clean energy goals?

Moss Landing Image credit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/652815133743333
https://neveragainmosslanding.org

Moss Landing, California:  Did you know a huge environmental disaster is unfolding in Northern California which may impact our food supply and wildlife, and is poisoning locals? 

Dubbed by Forbes magazine Tech’s “Three-Mile Island” moment, Moss Landing Lithium Power Plant caught on fire January 16, 2025. Moss Landing, which houses the world’s largest battery storage facility, burned for five days leaving a toxic plume that reached into agricultural and farmland in Monterey and into two other counties.

After the fire, Dr. Ivano Aiello, Department Chair at San Jose State University, home of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, discovered at Elkhorn Slough (two miles from the plant) heavy metal toxins at levels 100 to 1,000 times greater than normal soil levels.  

80 Percent of 100,000 Batteries Ignited – Not a “Little Fire”

“These fires are not done yet that they keep reigniting, even just the smallest one can still put toxins in the air,” – warns one local.

When lithium batteries burned for a week, smoldered for a month, and then reignited, many began questioning why the world’s largest lithium battery power plant was approved near Elkhorn Slough State Marine Conservation area, an area with the highest marine biodiversity in California (see San Jose State blog) and home of 150 endangered sea otters­­­­­­. What will be the impacts of this contamination given these sea otters, when healthy, birth a single pup every other year?

Heather Higgens, who kayaks at Elkhorn, stated in an interview with Tina Berg from Status Coup News:  

“50 sea otters gather in rafters at a time and hold hands, and you have sea lions at the entrance, we were all in shock, we couldn’t believe this [the fire] would happen.”

Filming Sea Otters at Moss Landing

Is Moss Landing Fire the Result of Unexamined and Reckless Sustainability Measures?

“If you can’t easily extinguish one battery, how are you expected to extinguish tens of thousands?  You can’t. You have to let the batteries burn themselves out” – Comment at the Monterey Board Meeting

The Battery storage at Moss Landing with frequent toxic fires is in violation of California Environmental Quality ACT (CEQA) §30240.

Locals didn’t know:

• These fires cannot be controlled, thermal runaway is a “phenomenon in which lithium-ion cells start uncontrollably heating up.” Bay Nature Magazine

• Battery fires can severely impact human health from toxic corrosive gasses: hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide (a toxic compound), and heavy metals, all of which require a respirator when in proximity.

• Prior to the January 2025, Vistra Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) fire, both agencies and the public were not informed how often BESS facilities catch on fire – nor were they alerted to the potential for hazardous toxins to be released after a thermal runaway event.

• There are 93 reported BESS failures worldwide, a veritable ticking time bomb.

Batteries Continue To Smolder, Risk of Another Fire Remains High as Moss Landing has Remaining Batteries Yet To Be Disconnected

Fallout from Moss Landing fires on January 16 and February 18 flare-up, included worsened symptom for local residents: metallic taste, skin rashes, burns, bloody noses, difficulty breathing, severe headaches and more. Salinas Valley, known as the “salad bowl” of America, is situated a mere twelve miles from the power plant. Isn’t it common sense not to consume vegetables or fruit that potentially have been affected by heavy metal fallout including impacts to the soil and water?

“These heavy metals will chemically transform as they move through the environments and potentially through the food web, affecting local aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems,” according to San Jose University  

Salinas Valley in Monterey County produces 70 percent of the United States lettuce as well as artichokes, strawberries, broccoli, wine grapes, cauliflower, celery, and spinach. Monterey County supplies our nation’s school lunches, and supermarkets such as Sprouts, Trader Joes and Whole Foods. With locals and animals in the area getting sick, people are now questioning the quality of local produce despite Monterey County assurances of safety.

The Erin Brockovich Lawsuit

Renown environmental activist, Erin Brockovich, is a spokesperson for the Moss Landing lawsuit against PG&E, Vistra, and LG.

“I am concerned with lithium power storage facilities so close to farmland and …communities because these accidents happen.  There didn’t seem to be any preparedness. People were going to the emergency room, having respiratory problems, sore throats and getting no answers. Every single situation seems to start like this. What concerns me is that it just feels like somebody knew. They did. They’ve got infrastructure inside there. Did they jerry rig something? Did they allow it to happen? The truth’s not coming out. So, my concern is that information is being concealed.”

– Erin Brockovich, Mercury News 

Knut Johnson, an attorney from Singleton Schreiber who is suing Moss Landing, reported seeing pictures of people with “horrible rashes and clients with toxic substances on their property.” 

While local scientists are checking the soil and finding toxic pollutants, and Hunterbrook New Data shows elevated heavy metal exposure 20 miles from Moss Landing including agricultural land, the EPA is minimizing the impacts assuring locals and farmers there is no problem for humans or wildlife. see report here and here. 

Vistra issued a statement in response to Erin Brockovich’s comments:

“Air quality monitoring, which has been ongoing since the start of the fire and continues today, has been conducted by the U.S. EPA, Monterey Bay Air Resources District, and others and has not detected risks to public health at any time. Additionally, soil and water testing conducted by Cal EPA/Department of Toxic Substances Control, Monterey County, and Santa Cruz County have not detected risks to public water supplies or soil in the community.”

Norm Groot with Monterey County Farm Bureau has assured constituents that Moss Landing “product” didn’t enter the food supply, (see letter here), yet this position differs from scientifically validated heavy metal toxicity which includes Hunterbrook results of 150 surface wipe samples of the area.

Image credit: Hunterbrook New Data

Locals are calling for further real time, transparent testing, of air, water, and agricultural products across the Monterey Bay, including Santa Cruz, and inland – and to be informed of battery pile conditions, flare-ups and off-gassing.  As of March 8, local residents shared multiple reports of the same sulfur and chlorine tastes/smells once again and noticed the Slough devoid of birds. 

Sick and Dead Banana Slugs the California State Icon?

“I collected a couple of sick or dead banana slugs up here which is quite unusual. So the impacts are very real far and wide, wherever the wind pattern, fog pattern takes the blend of particulates and they are part of the atmosphere. So much worse than CO2 emissions as even the trees can’t absorb the chemicals in the air.”
– Local reporting on Moss Landing Fire from Moss Landing Environmental FB group. 

Never Again Moss Landing

“Never Again Moss Landing is a fast-response grass-roots all-volunteer resident group which advocates for our community’s voice and interests in response to the Moss Landing BESS Fire.”
See Moss Landing News:

Image credit: https://neveragainmosslanding.org/news/#local

Brian Roeder from Never Again Moss Landing shares that a lot of folks are reporting terrible symptoms since the reignited fire from Feb 18^th.  However this KSBW News report does not acknowledge people’s symptoms nor the testing that showed elevated heavy metals in Elkhorn slough and surrounding communities.

Following are some of what locals are sharing on the Moss Landing Vistra Power Plant/Fire Symptoms Facebook page:

“The last couple days have been extremely bad with coughing up blood and the metallic taste in my mouth and my tongue being numb hard to talk.”

 “I was out at Elkhorn Slough reserve for 10 minutes – so impacted that my sinus flared up, my eyes are burning.”  

According to Dr. Calvin Luther Martin, those who live and work near Moss Landing could have been inhaling caustic hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid. Locals comfort each other offering advice on first aid such as eye drops or suggesting the use of blood pressure cuffs, as many are experiencing eye and blood pressure issues from long-term continual exposure. 

The following image is a map of 647 individuals who reported unusual and often severe symptoms from the Vistra fire.

N.B.: The location of individuals reporting symptoms extends from Santa Cruz to Carmel.  Locals are asking for oversight: for the California Coastal Commission to be involved in overseeing demolition and cleanup at Moss Landing, an analysis of the burn pile, and for Agricultural Inspectors to share knowledge and to be fully transparent on what is happening in the fields. 

Following is additional information from Brian Roeder of Never Again Moss Landing.

Thousands within 10 miles of this battery fire disaster need help. The Moss Landing Power Plan/Vistra Fire Symptoms Facebook page has hundreds of personal entries testifying to injuries, fear, and broken lives.  (20+) Moss Landing Power Plant/Vistra Fire Symptoms | Facebook

Few are listening. Patients and in particular women are being dismissed as hysterical when they go to their doctors.

The critical next step is to call State Senator John Laird’s three offices. Laird is a huge proponent of BESS plants.  He has a direct line to the Governor’s office.  Laird can request critical state resources that have not been on the ground.  Testing. Toxicology.  Financial assistance for families.  Medical and environmental guidance.  Help for the agricultural community and school district.  Fire mitigation strategies and wildlife impacts.

What is so tragic is that families have been and are continuing to be injured after (February’s) follow-on fire. The county authorities have gotten very little direction or resources from the State. The state toxicologist has dismissed the scientifically validated data and has stated publicly that he has not even looked at it. 

Please call Senator Laird and demand that he get involved:  Capital Office: (916) 651-4017, or Monterey District: (831) 657-6315, San Luis Obispo District: (805) 549-3784, Santa Cruz District: (831) 425-0401

Website: www.neveragainmosslanding.org.