For immediate release:

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) today urged the California Public Utilities Commission to conduct an independent investigation on the fire at the Vistra Battery Energy Storage System at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County.

Addis sent the following letter to Alice Busching Reynolds, the President of the California Public Utilities Commission:

January 22, 2025

Alice Busching Reynolds, President
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear President Busching Reynolds,

We are writing to formally request an independent investigation and action in regards to the January 2025 fire that lasted five days at the Vistra Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County. Specifically, we are asking for a fully transparent and independent investigation, updated safety enforcement, prevention enhancements, and for the Vistra BESS to remain offline until safety is guaranteed. I thank Governor Newsom and my colleagues at the local and state levels for joining ongoing calls for such an investigation.

As state legislators, we have the honor of representing hundreds of miles of California's coastline from the Santa Cruz harbor to the southern San Luis Obispo County line. We have been working to move California away from carbon producing energy and towards meeting our critical climate goals. It is imperative that as we transition, we ensure safety for our communities and our environment.

The Vistra BESS is located on the northern Monterey County Coast. It is surrounded by the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, critical marine educational and research facilities, important agricultural lands, residences, and businesses. The BESS also sits next to the Highway 1 corridor, and is just miles from tourist destinations that bring tens of millions of dollars to the California economy, such as the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Pebble Beach, and Big Sur. We must protect these sensitive and valuable assets within our community.

The January 2025 fire is the fourth BESS safety incident at Moss Landing since 2019. It is the third safety incident on the Vistra property, and the second time Highway 1 has been closed due to a Moss Landing BESS fire. We are deeply concerned for the health and welfare of local residents, businesses, visitors, first responders, wildlife, and environmentally sensitive habitat that surround the Moss Landing Power Plant.

We ask that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC):

1. Conduct a fully transparent investigation into the root cause of the January 2025 fire
2. Evaluate the environmental and public health impacts
3. Enact and enforce safety standards for battery energy storage facilities per SB 1383 (Hueso, Chapter 725, Statutes of 2022);
4. Assess systemic and technological risks;
5. Provide actionable prevention recommendations;
6. Ensure transparency;
7. Collaborate with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the California Energy Commission and local partners.

California must never have a disaster like this again. Vistra and its vendors should cooperate with any and all state investigations by sharing their data and allowing access to the site. Additionally, the Vistra BESS at Moss Landing should remain completely offline until the cause of the fire is determined and safety is guaranteed for our community and natural habitats.

The Moss Landing facility has represented a pivotal piece of our state's energy future, however this disastrous fire has undermined the public's trust in utility scale lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. If we are to ensure California moves its climate and energy goals forward, we must demonstrate a steadfast commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, transparency, accountability, and emergency prevention.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Dawn Addis
Assemblymember, District 30

Gail Pellerin
Assemblymember, District 28

John Laird
State Senator, District 17

Dawn Addis was elected to the California State Assembly in 2022 to represent the coastal 30th Assembly District, which includes San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties. She is the Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 1 on Health.

CONTACT: Alexis Garcia-Arrazola, (831) 649-2832