By Jon Chown
MOSS LANDING — Vistra has decided not to return one of the three battery energy storage facilities at the Moss Landing Power Plant to service, concluding that the cost to recommission it would exceed any potential future revenues, according to a recent update posted on the company’s website.
The announcement ends speculation into the future of the smaller Moss 100 facility. “Following months of careful evaluation of the battery energy storage facilities at the Moss Landing Power Plant and their long-term and ongoing operational and capital needs, Vistra has decided that Moss 100 will not return to service,” the company stated on its website. “The cost of recommissioning the facility will outweigh potential future revenues.”
Two other facilities are on the site. The Moss 300 was mostly destroyed in a fire in January 2025 and being slowly demolished. The Moss 350 plant, the largest of the three, remains offline, but Vistra says it might be back on this year.
Vistra emphasized that the closure of Moss 100 will not affect jobs at the plant.
“Importantly, this decision has no impact on the employment of our people,” the company said. “All employees working on Moss 100 also have other responsibilities on-site.”
While Moss 100 is being retired, the company said it is continuing to evaluate whether another facility, Moss 350, can be brought back online.
“Vistra continues to evaluate the potential restart of Moss 350, and we are working to return it to service sometime this year to continue providing reliable, affordable energy for the people of California and to support the reliability and sustainability of the California grid,” the company stated.
All battery energy storage systems at the Moss Landing site remain offline following the Jan. 16, 2025 fire at the Moss 300 facility, a 300-megawatt installation. The fire has led to more than a year of cleanup, investigation and regulatory scrutiny. Cleanup and recovery work is ongoing at the site, with federal regulators overseeing portions of the effort.
The company reported that, as of March 6, more than 23,000 intact battery modules had been removed, de-energized and shipped to a recycling facility. Demolition work is also continuing, including removal of parts of the damaged building.
“Limited demolition work continues, including the removal of additional portions of Moss 300’s exterior walls,” according to the company.
Vistra said the cleanup and demolition process is expected to continue for several more months as crews work through remaining materials.
The cause of the 2025 fire remains under investigation, with no official determination announced. Vistra added that more clues might be found as damaged areas of the facility become accessible during cleanup.