Crews continue to remove undamaged batteries from Vistra building
Officials from Vistra gave an update on the Moss Landing battery fire recovery efforts during the weekly county briefing Wednesday, detailing the ongoing battery removal process and emphasizing safety and environmental protection.
Vistra is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the remaining “accessible batteries” from the Moss 300 building that burned down in January. So far, this process only includes batteries that were not damaged by the fire. Crews are working to decharge them and plan to be able to transport the off the site this summer.
As for the damaged batteries, officials say they cannot begin to remove them until the building structure stabilization is complete, which will not happen until after the undamaged batteries are removed.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said David Yeager, Vistra director of project development. “We’ve been working over the last few months to design a battery removal procedure which prioritizes worker safety, community needs, environmental protection and battery stability.”
The Environmental Health Bureau revealed its new GIS dashboard Tuesday, aimed at improving transparency regarding air, water and soil quality data.
Initial community sampling results showed no immediate threats to public health or agriculture according to bureau officials, but continued testing is planned for previously inaccessible natural areas near the site of the January fire.
“Ultimately, the County of Monterey is the lead,” said Ric Encarnacion, director of the Environmental Health Bureau. “All of our state partners are consulting with us to ensure that we have the right resources, that we’re putting out the right information, and that all the interpretations are done right.”
Despite assurances from officials, concerns remain regarding elevated air and soil results reported in the aftermath of the battery fire. County officials reiterated that ongoing monitoring is critical and that affected residents should consult medical professionals with health concerns.
“All this information is for the sake of transparency,” Encarnacion said. “With regards to people’s health and their concerns, this is definitely our priority.”
