PG&E announces delay in restart of Tesla Megapack battery energy storage system

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (KION-TV) - PG&E has delayed the restart of its battery energy storage system at PG&E's Moss Landing electric substation due to a maintenance issue.

The announcement comes as PG&E was scheduled to restart the operation on June 1. In a press release, PG&E stated that a clamp failure and coolant leak were found in one of the 256 megapacks onsite.

PG&E stated they are taking a "conservative testing approach" with restarting the system to ensure a safer operation.

The full statement from PG&E is below:

Battery energy storage plays a key role in supporting grid reliability while providing cost savings for electric customers and helping to support the state’s decarbonization goals to integrate more renewable resources into PG&E’s power mix. 

The Elkhorn battery automatically disconnected from the grid when its infra-red fire detection system detected flames from the Vistra fire in January. The Elkhorn battery has remained electrically disconnected from the grid and in an idle state since January. 

PG&E is taking a conservative testing approach to restarting the system to identify operational issues and ensure continued safe operations. 

On June 1 we began methodically returning the batteries to service as a part of the planned return to service and in the process a clamp failure and coolant leak was identified in one of the 256 megapacks onsite. 

We are working to remediate the issue and out of an abundance of caution we are deferring the facility's return to service until a later date.