Cleaners have been unable to safely access parts of the burning building in rural Monterey County since the fire was completely removed through one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities in January.
The risk of reigniting the fire is too high, preventing crew members from starting dangerously removing thousands of lithium-ion batteries for a long time.
Now, the process can begin soon.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it had reached an agreement to remove batteries with Texas-based Vistra Corp., which owns battery energy storage systems in Moss Landing, which drew slams.
The 75-page agreement was signed on July 17, requiring Vistra to submit a detailed work plan to the EPA on all aspects of the removal of the battery and obtain government approval before proceeding.
“Vistra will carry out the demolition and disposal process under the supervision of the EPA,” Kazami Brockman, the EPA’s field coordinator, said in a Monterrey County news briefing Wednesday. “If you are not satisfied with the EPA, the EPA does have the right to take over the cleaning and bill viscosity of that fee.”
“We expect this work will last for more than a year due to the technical complexity and the safety measures taken to protect workers and communities,” Brockman added.
“The battery cannot be removed until an agreement is reached,” Vistra spokesman Meranda Cohn said in an email Wednesday night.
The moss fire began on January 16. It smoldered for several days, spraying toxic natural gas into the air and prompted the evacuation of about 1,500 people. Firefighters let it burn, citing water to put out the danger of a fire from a lithium-ion battery, which could cause dangerous chemical reactions.
Vistra said the fire ignited a former turbine building that housed a 300-megawatt system of about 4,500 cabinets, each containing 22 separate battery modules.
Such a battery system stores excess energy generated during the day and releases it into the grid during times of high demand, including at night. These facilities are considered critical to stabilize the state’s grid and advance the transition to clean energy, as they can store solar and wind energy, used when the sun does not shine and the turbine does not rotate.
However, Vistra Fire also exposed the dangers inherent in large battery storage, prompting state and federal regulators to seek stronger security protocols.
According to Vistra, about 54,450 of the 99,000 individual LG battery modules in the building are burning.
On February 18, the fire reignited and burned for several hours. “Smoke and other instances of explosions are also possible given the nature of this situation and damage to the battery,” Vistra wrote on its website.
The damaged building is filled with burning and unaffected lithium-ion batteries – keeping it volatile, which both slows down and complicates cleaning.
“The challenge here is that there are batteries in all states of charge and can still be fully consumed,” Brockman said.
According to the EPA, staff have cleared fire debris containing asbestos and safely accessible batteries over the past six months to reduce the risk of reignition.
On January 16, 2025, a fire broke out at the moss landing power plant.
(KSBW via AP)
EPA-led field coordinator Ramon Albizu said in an interview Thursday that some parts of the building were “completely inaccessible”. He added that 99,000 modules in the building suffered varying degrees of damage.
“We need to be careful, surgically demolished the building so that we can access all modules.” “It takes a lot of planning.”
He said that since the fire, EPA, Vistra and other regulators have developed more than 30 work plans related to the removal and removal of batteries. He added that work to stabilize the building should begin at the end of the month.
The moss fires ignited nine days after the start of the Eaton fire in the deadly Palisades and Los Angeles County. Under pressure from the Trump administration’s rapid work in Southern California, the EPA has removed about 300 tons of dangerous household debris, including more than 1,000 lithium-ion batteries, from huge burn zones in 28 days and large combustion zones in Pacific Palisades.
Albisu said removing batteries that landed moss is very different from removing smaller batteries in Southern California, many of which come from electric vehicles. In the Vistra building, the 99,000 batteries weigh about 4 feet and weigh 200 pounds.
“It’s unprecedented,” Albisu said of the battery fire.
EPA says that once each battery is removed, its remaining energy will be transferred to another source. If the battery is too damaged to complete, the crew will discharge it by combustion, during which time it is immersed in water and salt solution.
The batteries will then be shipped to the site for disposal, Vistra project development director David Yeager said at a Monterey County news conference Wednesday.
In a statement to the Times Thursday, Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church including the moss landing, said “It was disappointing that it took a long time to start the cleanup, but safety must be a priority.”
According to Vistra, the cause of the fire is “still unknown” and is still under investigation by the company. The California Public Utilities Commission also conducted an ongoing investigation.
Vistra Fire shocked California’s clean energy industry and its plans for more turret factories, something that national leaders actively pursued.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted California’s transition to renewable energy, writing that “it’s time for the United States to follow California’s leaders.”
The ability to store clean electricity is a “critical factor” in meeting clean energy goals, and over the past six years, the state has added 15,000 megawatts of battery storage capacity, enough to meet a quarter of its electricity demand.
“More, including the world’s largest battery project, is now allowed in Fresno County through California’s new fast-pass process,” Newsom wrote.
In addition to other security regulations for battery storage, Blaze has prompted calls for more local control over where the storage site is located.
In a survey of nearby residents conducted by the Santa Cruz County Health Department, 83% of respondents said they experienced at least one symptom shortly after the fire—the most common headache, sore throat and cough. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they had difficulty breathing, and 39% reported a metallic smell.
The survey, conducted in February and March, conducted a survey of 1,539 people living or working in the area during the fire.
Knut Johnson, an attorney at the law firm Singleton Schreiber, said hundreds of nearby residents have joined lawsuits against Vistra, LG Energy Solution and Pacific Gas & Electric, accusing the companies of failing to maintain adequate fire safety systems.
Johnson said the plaintiff was “very concerned” about the battery that remained on the scene.
“Those burned batteries still contain a lot of toxins,” Johnson said. “The wind blows, and the mist rolls down at night, hanging particles in moisture – there are many ways for any remaining toxin to get around the community.”
Johnson said the fire should be “used as a wake-up call” because anyone who wants to build battery storage facilities in residential areas and near sensitive ecosystems.
