Monterey County officials continue to monitor the fire scene at the battery storage facility in Moss Landing where flames erupted Friday morning. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office lifted its shelter-in-place order Friday afternoon.
Moss Landing power plant fire January 2025
Posted inLatest News
Fire reignites at Moss Landing battery plant; Monterey County officials issue shelter-in-place order
Residents near the Moss Landing battery plant were under a shelter-in-place order after a fire erupted at the facility early Friday morning.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Moss Landing battery plant cleanup enters tougher next phase, with demolition expected into 2027
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is gearing up to begin the next phase of its Moss Landing cleanup efforts, following a massive January 2025 fire that damaged a large portion of a battery storage facility.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
A year after Moss Landing fire, proponents of new battery storage plant outside Watsonville say it would be safer; residents are skeptical
Residents who live in the area outside Watsonville where a battery storage plant is proposed are arguing against the facility on safety grounds. The company proposing it, however, insists that new technology is safer and more reliable.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: After the Moss Landing fire, the public deserves answers — not silence
“We know investigations often lag, but the lack of clear information leads us to ask troubling questions,” the Lookout Editorial Board writes more than a year after the massive fire at the Moss Landing battery storage plant. “Why has it been so hard to get consistent answers from the officials charged with protecting the public?”
Posted inLatest News
One year after massive fire at Moss Landing battery storage facility, nearby residents have more questions than answers
People who live near Moss Landing still have more questions than answers about the massive fire that started Jan. 16, 2025, at the world’s second-largest battery storage facility.
Posted inLatest News
Cleanup of Moss Landing battery facility continues under EPA oversight; Phase 2 of building demolition to start mid-2026
Battery cleanup and disposal continues at the Moss Landing battery storage facility that burned almost a year ago, according to Monterey County officials. Approximately 12,000 of the 35,772 batteries have been removed and transported for recycling.
Posted inLatest News
Independent study reveals heavy metals near Elkhorn Slough after Moss Landing fire
A study from researchers at San Jose State University’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories estimates that nearly 55,000 pounds of heavy metals were dumped into soil near Elkhorn Slough following January’s Moss Landing battery fire. It’s the first independent study of the fire’s impacts published in a scientific journal.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Battery storage developer backs Santa Cruz County’s proposed new rules ahead of Tuesday vote
New Leaf Energy, the developer behind the proposed battery storage facility near Watsonville, tells Lookout that the company is hopeful the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will move ahead on new regulations for battery plants on Tuesday.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Watsonville City Council wants more say in county’s battery storage ordinance
As Santa Cruz County officials work on battery storage facility regulations, members of the Watsonville City Council say they want their concerns to be heard.
