- A fire broke out at California’s Moss Landing Power Plant on Thursday.
- The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office urged residents near the plant to evacuate.
- It’s not the first time the plant has experienced fire, power outages, or technical issues.
A huge fire has broken out at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants in California.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the North County Fire Protection District was responding to a fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant in an X post on Thursday.
Out of an “abundance” of caution, it urged residents in nearby areas to close windows and doors, shut off air systems until further notice, and avoid the area so that emergency vehicles could respond.
A few hours later, it issued evacuation orders for areas of the plant and shut down parts of California’s Highway 1.
The National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area said heat signature could be seen in satellite imagery.
Neither Vistra Energy, the plant’s owner, nor the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office specified the cause of the fire, and they didn’t respond to requests for comments made outside working hours.
It’s not clear how much damage the fire has caused, or if it has been contained.
In a press release announcing the plant’s expansion in 2023, Texas-based Vistra Energy said it was one of the world’s largest battery storage plants.
It’s not the first time the facility has experienced fires, power outages, or technical issues. In 2015, a transmission tower at the power plant collapsed, resulting in a significant power outage.
A failing heat detector also caused damage to the Moss Landing battery complex in 2021, and in 2022 a fire broke out at a nearby Pacific Gas & Electric-owned battery plant.
Thursday’s fire comes as wildfires across Los Angeles area have ravaged over 40,000 acres and killed at least 25 people.
AccuWeather has put the total estimated cost of the LA wildfires at $250 and $275 billion.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
Source link
lol
