Elevated concentrations of heavy metals have been detected at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve by scientists from San Jose State University’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories following a recent fire at Vistra Moss Landing Power Plant and Energy Storage Facility.
The plant is one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery storage facilities.
The fire at the Moss Landing Vistra Power Plant, located about 90 miles south of San Francisco, broke out on January 16 in the afternoon, escalating in the early evening to the point where the incident triggered evacuations for about 1,200 Monterey County residents in the area and shut down a section of Highway 1 in both directions.
One supervisor described the fire as a “Three Mile Island” event for the emerging lithium-ion battery industry. Last Tuesday, Monterey County supervisors declared a state of emergency in response to the Moss Landing fire.
As part of long-term monitoring at the…
