A group of South County residents concerned with a proposal for a 200-megawatt battery storage facility on an apple orchard just outside of Watsonville held a community meeting Monday evening. Residents expressed their disapproval of the project and say they want more transparency from county officials.
Battery storage
Posted inLatest News
PG&E aims to restart Elkhorn battery facility in June, months after Vistra facility fire
Pacific Gas & Electric plans to restart its Elkhorn battery facility on June 1, months after a fire broke out at the nearby Vistra-owned facility in Moss Land.
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In Moss Landing, activist Erin Brockovich finds a community searching for answers to battery facility fire
Erin Brockovich, whose environmental activism inspired an Oscar-winning film, is serving as a liaison between Moss Landing residents and attorneys in a mass action lawsuit over the January battery storage facility fire. Brockovich joined the lawsuit after receiving dozens of emails from concerned residents. In an interview, she said the Moss Landing community is determined to seek answers.
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Battery storage takes center stage at Santa Cruz climate presentation
Central Coast Community Energy will share information on battery energy storage systems and their relationship to renewable energy during a community meeting in Santa Cruz on March 26.
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Explainer: Is the planned Santa Cruz County battery storage facility safer than Moss Landing?
In the wake of January’s fire at a Moss Landing battery plant, Santa Cruz County residents are pushing back against a proposed Watsonville storage facility. While developers tout new safety measures, experts warn that next-generation batteries come with different risks — not necessarily fewer.
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Citing design flaws, Moss Landing restaurant owners sue Vistra over battery plant fire
A new lawsuit from a pair of local restaurant owners alleges that Vistra Corp., owner of the Moss Landing battery plant that erupted in flames in January, knew about design flaws that exacerbated the fire.
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Public outcry grows as residents urge Santa Cruz County to halt battery proposal amid Moss Landing disaster
One month after a lithium-ion battery storage facility just south of the Santa Cruz-Monterey county line erupted into a dayslong blaze that sent plumes of toxic smoke into the air, residents from across Santa Cruz County say they are frustrated by the lack of information and engagement they’ve received from the local government. On Tuesday, several residents demanded a town hall meeting, and vocally opposed any progress on a lithium-ion battery storage facility proposed for outside Watsonville.
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Moss Landing fire: Santa Cruz County tests see no elevated health risks; survey aims to gather info from residents
Santa Cruz County has completed environmental testing to gauge the Moss Landing battery plant fire’s impact on local air, water, soil and agriculture, it announced Friday. While results show that there are “significantly lower” levels of metal in Santa Cruz County than in neighboring Monterey, both counties are circulating a survey to gather data from residents.
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Moss Landing battery plant fire reignites, but is under control, fire chief says
The fire at the Vistra Corp. lithium-ion battery storage facility in Moss Landing flared again late Tuesday afternoon but has since died down, a North Monterey County fire chief told Lookout on Thursday. Crews will continue monitoring the facility.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The Moss Landing fire is a wake-up call: Assembly Bill 303 promotes community-centered clean energy
The fire that raged at Moss Landing’s lithium-ion battery storage facility on Jan. 16 are a stark reminder of the risks communities take when placing projects in their districts. Assemblymember Dawn Addis has proposed legislation – AB 303, the Battery Energy Safety and Accountability Act – which would create commonsense siting requirements for potentially hazardous battery energy storage systems. She makes the case for the bill here.