A big fireplace broke out Thursday on the Moss Touchdown battery plant south of San Jose, California, shutting down Interstate 1 and prompting native authorities to problem evacuation orders for about 2,000 residents.
The plant, owned by Vistra Vitality, is among the largest battery storage websites on the earth and holds tens of hundreds of lithium-ion batteries that retailer electrical energy for the ability grid.
It is unclear what precipitated the hearth, which began Thursday afternoon and was nonetheless burning Friday morning, sending up clouds of harmful smoke. The blaze seemed to be contained and unrelated to the wildfires which have damaged out round Los Angeles.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Workplace evacuation orders issued for an space of ​​about eight sq. miles across the plant. Residents elsewhere within the area have been urged to shut their home windows and doorways, flip off air flow methods and keep away from out of doors publicity till additional discover whereas officers monitored air high quality.
Lithium-ion battery fires can final for hours and emit poisonous fumes. Flames may be extraordinarily troublesome to extinguish, and sometimes firefighters merely have to attend till they burn out.
Jenny Lyon, a spokeswoman for Vistra, mentioned all personnel on the Moss touchdown pad have been safely evacuated and that an investigation into the reason for the hearth would start as soon as the hearth was extinguished.
From 2018 California has installed more than 13,000 megawatts of grid batteries which largely soak up extra photo voltaic vitality through the day and return electrical energy to properties and companies within the night. On this approach, utilities are attempting to cut back their dependence on pure fuel, which contributes to international warming.
However battery fires are a rising concern. One other battery facility owned by Pacific Fuel & Electrical that was proper subsequent to the Moss Touchdown plant suffered a fire in 2022. Close to San Diego, some residents have opposed deliberate battery facility on account of fireplace threat.
Some battery corporations already are use of alternative chemicals that are much less more likely to catch fireplace, though lithium-ion batteries stay the dominant expertise at this time.
