World's biggest lithium-ion battery facility catches fire sparking fear

A lithium-ion battery facility located in California has caught fire, sparking fear from surrounding residents after the state declared on Friday.

The battery facility, one of several located at the former Moss Landing Power Plant, and is owned and operated by Vistra Energy. Notably, the facility is described as the largest of its kind in the world, with its total capacity reaching a stunning 750 MW / 3,000 MWh. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but according to county officials cited in reports, approximately 75% of the facility has been burned down. For those that don't know, lithium-ion battery fires are extremely difficult to put out due to a chain reaction called "thermal runaway."

Thermal runaway occurs when a battery cell overheats, causing a fire, which causes neighboring battery cells to increase in temperature and catch fire. This process can result in a lasting fire that can even go out and reignite. How can it be stopped? Firefighters have begun dealing with more lithium-ion battery fires since the rise of electric vehicles, and in the instances of EVs catching fire, emergency responders have had to douse burning vehicles for approximately 90 minutes, sometimes wasting as much as 4,500 gallons of water.

Due to how much water it would take to put out the Moss Landing Power Plant fire, firefighters stood down from the blaze and cleared the plant and surrounding area of any people. A cause for the fire is yet to be discovered as an investigation will be launched when the building can be safely entered.