Five days after a huge fire at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants in Moss Landing, Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an investigation into the blaze, which has jolted California’s renewable energy industry.

In the wake of the Moss Landing lithium battery plant fire, another coastal Calif. town tells Texas company to go away for good.

Vistra planned to build a 600-megawatt battery energy storage facility at the retired Morro Bay Power Plant property — but Assemblymember Dawn Addis called for an end to the project after the Moss Landing fire. “We can never have a disaster like this again,” she said in a statement Monday.

Experts have said that these types of fires will become more prevalent as the demand of electric vehicles and machinery continues to increase.

A plume of material released from the plant contained hydroflouride, a toxic gas, that is now being monitored by Monterey County.

Then in September 2022, a fire broke out at the PG&E Elkhorn Battery plant. Police closed Highway 1 for 12 hours. An investigation found it was caused by an improperly installed vent shield on one of the 256 units, which allowed rainwater to get in and short out the batteries. There were no injuries to firefighters, PG&E employees or the public.

The fire at a Northern California lithium battery storage facility prompted a state of emergency in Monterey County and a special meeting Tuesday on the fire and ongoing response. Wilson Walker reports that while the fire has burned itself out,

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that he said aims to restore freedom of speech and end censorship, drawing fire from critics who point to his past actions threatening and suing journalists,