Featured in The hunt for high efficiency – 06-2025

Let it burn

Battery fires, while a rare occurrence given the number of lithium-ion batteries manufactured and deployed each year, are common enough to worry insurers and others in the industry. Following high-profile battery fires in 2024 and 2025, the industry is busy implementing solutions not only to reduce the risk of fire breaking out in the first place, but to contain and mitigate the risk of injury or damage should it happen. Conclusions from large-scale fire testing will be key.

By

Mark Hutchins

11 Jun 2025

Image: Vistra Energy

At around 3 pm local time on Jan. 16, 2025, a fire broke out at the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California. Three hours later, staff on site and local residents had to be evacuated as the fire spread.Later reports stated that almost all of the project’s first phase, 300 MW/1,200 MWh of battery …

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