Never Again Moss Landing released findings 6 months after battery storage facility fire
PRUNEDALE, Calif. — A local community watchdog group is speaking out tonight about potential causes behind the fire at Vistra's battery storage facility, releasing findings from a months-long investigation.
The group, Never Again Moss Landing, says it has identified eight key factors contributing to the fire, breaking them down as follows: two at the county permitting level, four at the Vistra operator level, and two at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulatory level.
Six months after the fire, which sent plumes of smoke into surrounding communities, Never Again Moss Landing is sharing the results of its investigation.
"The companies that own them are self-policing. That's not right when they're allowed to do whatever they want to do and not turn over information. That's the regulation on these storage systems is nonexistent. Basically. And that's what we found," said Tonya Rivera, Co-Founder of Never Again Moss Landing
Community members gathered at the Prunedale Grange to hear findings that they claim state regulators have not publicly acknowledged.
"You're going to be planting technology, time bombs in somebody's community. Not everyone will burn down. But so far this stuff is dangerous. So let's work at it by knowing, hey, it can be good if we can get it to not burn down," said Eddie Mitchell, Lead Investigator, Never Again Moss Landing.
The group claims Vistra stored more than 50,000 lithium-ion batteries in a double-stack configuration, leaving only 5.5 feet between rows. They allege that the facility’s fire suppression systems failed, allowing the fire to grow out of control.
"You put 50,000 batteries on one floor. That was your idea. Well, you must have had great confidence that the suppression system was going to work, which it didn't," said Mitchell.
Following multiple fires at the site in recent years, the group — which has just under 5,000 members — is demanding that Vistra’s facility remain closed until new safety standards are implemented and independent environmental and health testing is conducted.
"I'd like to have seen a third party, which I'd like to recommend to the EPA. PUC DTSC had done its own investigation. No, not hiring someone else to do it. Literally inside the fence, the EPA told Vistra to collect the data. Well, Vista's got a self-interest in protecting itself," said Mitchell.
The County of Monterey has responded, stating that insufficient information is currently available to prepare a human health risk assessment. The county outlined its next steps:
- Collect new, focused samples
- Rely on lab data over field screening results
- Include background data for context
- Perform a full quality review of all data
KION’s reached out to both Vistra and the CPUC, sending them the Never Again Moss Landing report. As of now, neither organization has responded.
The County of Monterey is asking that the facility remain offline until it has reviewed and approved an updated Emergency Action Plan.
In a statement, Supervisor Glenn Church expressed support for increased safety precautions:
“Vistra maintains another, smaller building with batteries onsite. While it has not restarted, it should never be restarted as an indoor battery facility because of the dangers it poses to the community.”
