Moss Landing battery plant catches fire for fifth time, exposing systemic safety gaps
The Moss Landing energy storage facility in California, once the world's largest lithium-ion battery plant, caught fire for the fifth time on September 18, 2026. The blaze originated from about 1,200 damaged battery modules that remained energized after a catastrophic fire in January 2025. Operated by Vistra Energy with LG Energy Solution batteries, the facility has suffered escalating damage, leading to a full asset impairment. Two additional fires occurred in South Korea and Southern California on September 21 and 22. Industry experts warn the incidents highlight systemic safety risks from rapid expansion and low-price competition in the global energy storage sector.
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Former World's Largest Battery Plant Catches Fire for Fifth Time in Five Years, Highlighting Safety Risks
The Moss Landing energy storage facility in California, once the world's largest lithium-ion battery plant, experienced its fifth fire in five years on September 18. The blaze originated from approximately 1,200 damaged battery modules that remained energized after a catastrophic fire in January 2025. The facility, operated by Vistra Energy and using LG Energy Solution batteries, has suffered escalating damage, leading to a full asset impairment. Separately, fires occurred at a South Korean power research institute on September 21 and a Southern California water utility facility on September 22. Industry expert Tian Qingjun of Envision Group warns that these incidents expose systemic safety deficiencies in the rapidly expanding global energy storage sector. He criticizes the industry's 'low-price competition, assembly-line production, blind large-format cell design, and hasty delivery' as underlying risks. Tian calls for stricter safety standards, including mandatory large-scale fire tests, and a shift from scale-driven growth to safety-first, value-driven development for China's dominant battery storage industry.
Read sourceMoss Landing battery plant burns fifth time in five years; LG cells, safety gaps flagged
The Moss Landing energy storage facility in California, once the world's largest lithium-ion battery plant, caught fire for at least the fifth time since 2021, according to a report by Sina Finance. The latest blaze on September 18, 2025, originated from about 1,200 damaged battery modules that remained energized and could not be removed after a catastrophic fire in January 2025. The facility, operated by Vistra Energy and using LG Energy Solution cells, has suffered escalating damage, leading Vistra to take a full asset impairment. Two additional fires occurred in South Korea and Southern California on September 21 and 22, respectively. Energy storage expert Tian Qingjun of Envision Group warned that the incidents highlight systemic safety risks from rapid expansion, low-price competition, and rushed delivery in the global battery storage industry. He called for stricter safety standards, including mandatory large-scale burn tests, and urged China's industry to shift from scale leadership to safety leadership.
Envision's Tian: Energy Storage Industry Faces Key Test from Scale to Safety Leadership
The energy storage industry is facing a critical transition from prioritizing scale to ensuring safety, according to Envision Group Senior Vice President Tian Qingjun. Speaking to the Shanghai Securities News, Tian highlighted that the rapid global expansion of large-scale lithium battery storage projects, particularly in China, necessitates a re-evaluation of safety risks. This comes amid a series of fires at the Moss Landing energy storage facility in California, USA, operated by Vistra Energy with LG batteries, marking its fifth incident. Data from Polaris Energy Storage Network indicates 11 publicly reported global energy storage safety incidents in the first half of 2026 alone. Tian argued that safety is a systemic issue requiring a full lifecycle approach, not a single technical fix. He called for the industry to abandon low-price competition and focus on integrated design, intelligent operations, and green recycling. The new national standard GB/T51048-2025 for electrochemical energy storage station design, implemented on April 1, 2026, is cited as a key safety benchmark. Envision's AI-powered digital operations system, which provides monitoring and risk warnings, is already deployed in over 60 GWh of overseas storage projects.
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Moss Landing, once world's largest battery plant, catches fire for fifth time
The Moss Landing energy storage facility in California, once the world's largest lithium-ion battery plant, caught fire for the fifth time on September 18, 2025. Operated by Vistra Energy with LG Energy Solution batteries, the 750MW/3000MWh site has experienced repeated safety failures. The incident has sparked renewed warnings from Chinese industry experts about systemic risks in the global energy storage sector. Tian Qingjun, Senior Vice President at Envision Group, told 21st Century Business Herald that the fire underscores the need for China to shift from 'scale leadership' to 'safety leadership' as GW-level projects proliferate. Another industry insider noted the fire exposes the sector's chronic 'emphasis on construction, neglect of maintenance, weak decommissioning' problem. The article also reviews recent Chinese regulatory tightening, including a 2025 multi-department safety notice, the 2026 battery storage design standard banning lithium-ion prefabs underground or near residential areas, and new power accident判定 standards. Tian identified five typical industry ills: low-price competition, assembly-line manufacturing, blind battery upscaling, low-quality delivery, and disorderly expansion. He called for mandatory large-scale fire testing standards and a full-lifecycle safety evaluation system to eliminate low-end capacity.
Read sourceMoss Landing Fire Reignites Safety Concerns for Global Energy Storage Industry
The Moss Landing储能电站 in California, once the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facility, caught fire for the fifth time on September 18, 2026, according to a report by 21st Century Business Herald. The 750MW/3000MWh facility, operated by Vistra Energy with LG Energy Solution batteries, has experienced repeated incidents. Zhang Jingjun, Senior Vice President at Envision Group, warned that the fire serves as a critical warning for China's rapidly expanding energy storage sector, which faces systemic risks from 'prioritizing scale over safety.' The article notes that in 2026 alone, 11 global storage safety incidents were recorded. In response, Chinese regulators have tightened rules: a five-department notice in April 2025 mandated full-chain safety requirements; a new design standard effective April 2026 bans battery prefabs in underground or rooftop locations and sets 25-50 meter fire separation distances; and a July 2026 regulation classifies grid-performance defects as 'major accident hazards.' Industry experts call for stricter testing standards, including large-scale fire tests, and a shift from low-cost competition to value-driven, safety-first development.
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