EPA reaches agreement with Vistra Corp. for urgent battery cleanup at Moss Landing, launches website for public updates

EPA reaches agreement with Vistra Corp. for urgent battery cleanup at Moss Landing, launches website for public updates

Under EPA oversight, Vistra will conduct and pay for battery removal to reduce risk of fire and carry out community involvement plan

July 23, 2025

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (July 23, 2025) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached an agreement with Vistra Corp. to safely remove and dispose of batteries impacted by the January 2025 fire at Moss Landing. This agreement formally establishes Vistra's obligations and clarifies EPA's expectations for the battery removal process. Under the agreement, Vistra will perform the removal of the damaged lithium-ion batteries from the site under EPA's oversight.

"We've arrived at a key milestone in the Moss Landing response: an agreement that allows our EPA experts to ensure the safe removal and proper disposal of these dangerous damaged batteries," said EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Josh F.W. Cook. "Today's announcement marks a major step toward protecting the community."

On January 16, 2025, a fire broke out at Vistra's 300-megawatt battery energy storage facility in Moss Landing, Calif. The facility contained approximately 100,000 lithium-ion battery modules, which were damaged in the incident. The fire continued until January 18 and experienced a flare-up on February 18. EPA has remained involved in the response since the first night of the fire.Exit EPA's website

Damaged lithium-ion batteries pose an ongoing risk of fire. Lithium-ion battery fires can produce hydrogen fluoride, and other flammable or toxic gases. To reduce the risk of another fire, the batteries will be removed from the fire-damaged Moss Landing facility and treated for safe transport and disposal or recycling.

Under the agreement, EPA is requiring Vistra to submit detailed work plans to EPA, implement comprehensive safety measures to protect nearby residents and workers during the cleanup, and participate in community involvement activities to enable meaningful public engagement throughout the removal process.

Vistra is required to implement air monitoring and air sampling around the property during removal activities. In the event of a fire, in addition to continuing to have a private firefighting company on-site 24/7, Vistra will implement an EPA-approved emergency response plan and EPA may direct Vistra to conduct additional air monitoring and air sampling.

The public can track updates on the battery removal process at EPA's Moss Landing Battery Fire Response webpage as the work progresses.

Background

Vistra is considered a potentially responsible party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and must bear the costs of the battery removal and disposal. EPA will continue to oversee cleanup activities at Moss Landing 300 until the batteries and related materials have been removed from the site.

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