Max, as you know a few years ago I wrote an article on the lithium mine at Thacker Pass for a mutual friend. I was just at the beginning of what became a nearly full-time education to understand climate change and overshoot. Mining of course is a historically proven filthy, destructive business, and the mine at Thacker as you well know in your courageous fight there runs roughshod over Indigenous people as well. What I learned was stunning.
Readers, consider producing one metric ton of lithium requires up to 500,000 gallons of water. In the case of Thacker Pass using Lithium Nevada’s own estimate of 60,000 tons per annum (TPA) of ore, the water requirement for one year of mining and creating commercial grade lithium comes to 30 billion gallons per year, laced with toxic chemicals. Life of the mine life was expected to be 46 years. 30 billion x 46 comes to an incomprehensible 1.38 trillion gallons of lost water, and I have read since then my calculation on that final incomprehensible figure was likely conservative.
EVs, mining and lithium are a filthy lie. They are NOT part of a solution, and compete with drinking and agricultural water in some of the most drought stricken regions of the planet. Operations in South America are committing the same kind of assaults on the poor, and on the planet. For those interested, here's a link to my article, and please support Max financially if you can. He puts literally his body on the line in these fights and well-deserves our support.
The properties in the immediate vicinity of the Moss Landing facility are not white and wealthy (you can do the math) and the damage done to Elkhorn Slough and the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary should be prosecutable.
One thing though - Lahonton Reservoir is irrigation, not domestic/drinking water (not that that makes much difference except the toxicity may be spread even further by way of produce and meat) In almost any summer that reservoir is contaminated by cyanobacteria and it is prone to drying up.
The "fenceline" communities — always poor, often made up disproportionately of immigrants or other people of color — are always the first in the firing line. It's the same everywhere. Rotten system.
The facts Hedi:No name-calling, no opinion, just throwing out facts based on measurement data by multiple groups, including the EPA:
EPA Air Monitoring Results Near Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire Not Exceeding Health Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not detected any risk to public health based on air monitoring data from stations near the Vistra Energy Battery Power Plant in Monterey Bay, California.
In addition to EPA’s monitoring, Vistra Energy brought in a third-party environmental consultant with air monitoring expertise, right after the fire started, to conduct roaming and fixed air monitoring in communities. Air monitoring stations have been installed where EPA’s stations had been located to continue air monitoring as the response progresses. An air monitor location map is located at the County’s incident website. The Monterey Bay Air Resources District also monitors particulate matter through their regulatory air monitors and wildfire smoke sensors.
The short version is: you can't always trust the government.
Remember, this is the same EPA that is currently having its budget decimated and that is thoroughly corrupted by industry reps via revolving doors and lobbyists. EPA standards and "safe" levels are regularly invalidated via more thorough testing in, for example, the EU (where many products and chemicals that are allowed in the U.S. are banned as toxic). Also, remember that there are technical limitations to the methodologies employed during this testing. This is discussed in some of the videos I linked.
Data anyone here can verify, references to data provided: A recent study shows that the battery storage (BESS) failure incident rate dropped 98% between 2018 and 2024, going from around 9.2 failures per GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) deployed in 2018 to around 0.2 in 2023. This, according to the US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and data analytics provider TWAICE.
In addition, studies from organizations like EPRI show that between 2017 and 2022, U.S. energy storage deployments increased by more than 18 times, from 645 MWh to 12,191 MWh. According to the EIA's "Electric Power Monthly" report, which includes data through September 2024, solar power generation shot up by 25.9% compared to the first nine months of 2023. EIA.gov stated that Solar and battery storage will make up 81% of new U.S. electric-generating capacity in 2024. The U.S. battery energy storage system market size was estimated at USD 711.9 million in 2023 (Grand View Research Report). The data clearly shows more BESS, yet fewer fires.
It seems that you are discussing battery failure when your linked article does point out that "65% of incidents could be linked to operation and integration of batteries," not battery failure. In addition " no public resource exists that categorises (sp) failure events by their cause, while in the US, there are no requirements anywhere at federal, state or local jurisdiction level for incident reporting. There are often even legal barriers that prevent details of detailed root cause analysis from being made public even where they have been carried out."
Two major fires were described in the article and it took me little time to find this article which speaks of 40 fires in large storage systems and "at least 25,000 incidents of fire or overheating in lithium-ion batteries over a recent five-year period,"
Heidi, no fire has ever escaped a BESS facility in history to burn anything outside it. EPRI's Battery Energy Storage System Failure Incident Database, which compiles information about stationary battery energy storage system (BESS) failure incidents, lists only 91 worldwide from 2011 to 2025. 38 are solar integration. So 91 fires 14 years, meanwhile in the US, there are on average 4000 gas station fires A YEAR.
Not only are BESS fires exceedingly rare, but current modern safety protocols are incredibly effective. The CSA Group* is a standards organization that develops standards in 57 areas and was established in 1919. The CSA conducted a test and video of a BESS under the latest safety standards UL9540A that will also be included in the forthcoming 2026 edition of NFPA 855, which, while pertaining to a US standard for fire safety, is also widely adopted around the world. Thermal runaway was introduced, and autonomous systems extinguished the fire in 37 seconds with no fire spread to any other modules.
As for fires from other lithium-ion batteries, there are over 1.3 billion iPhones worldwide* with such batteries alone, many of which are carried in people's pockets. Simple question, yes or no: you don't own or use any products that utilize lithium-ion batteries?
"Heidi, no fire has ever escaped a BESS facility in history to burn anything outside it.
I did not see where the escape of a fire from a storage facility was the topic of discussion. On the other hand the toxins released into the atmosphere by fire are impossible to contain on the particular site.
My use of a product that runs on lithium ion batteries was also NOT a part of the discussion which concerns facilities a hell of a lot larger than an iphone.
Simple question, yes or no: are you interested in discussing the topic of Max's article?
Thanks for the replies, Heidi! This op-ed focused on the topic of fires because it's relatable to the concerns the commmunity has, which are based on real and serious issues. As you point out, the main concern with industrial fires in the US today is pollution, not the fire spreading. And, I'm not so sure these fires are as rare as Andrew describes. I think there are parallels to the issue of EV fires as discussed by firefighter and engineer Captain Patrick Durham in this video:
Thank you Max
You're welcome, Erica.
Max, as you know a few years ago I wrote an article on the lithium mine at Thacker Pass for a mutual friend. I was just at the beginning of what became a nearly full-time education to understand climate change and overshoot. Mining of course is a historically proven filthy, destructive business, and the mine at Thacker as you well know in your courageous fight there runs roughshod over Indigenous people as well. What I learned was stunning.
Readers, consider producing one metric ton of lithium requires up to 500,000 gallons of water. In the case of Thacker Pass using Lithium Nevada’s own estimate of 60,000 tons per annum (TPA) of ore, the water requirement for one year of mining and creating commercial grade lithium comes to 30 billion gallons per year, laced with toxic chemicals. Life of the mine life was expected to be 46 years. 30 billion x 46 comes to an incomprehensible 1.38 trillion gallons of lost water, and I have read since then my calculation on that final incomprehensible figure was likely conservative.
EVs, mining and lithium are a filthy lie. They are NOT part of a solution, and compete with drinking and agricultural water in some of the most drought stricken regions of the planet. Operations in South America are committing the same kind of assaults on the poor, and on the planet. For those interested, here's a link to my article, and please support Max financially if you can. He puts literally his body on the line in these fights and well-deserves our support.
https://geoffreydeihl.substack.com/p/showdown-at-thacker-pass
Thanks very much, Geoffrey. You're absolutely right. I appreciate both the support and your own work.
The properties in the immediate vicinity of the Moss Landing facility are not white and wealthy (you can do the math) and the damage done to Elkhorn Slough and the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary should be prosecutable.
One thing though - Lahonton Reservoir is irrigation, not domestic/drinking water (not that that makes much difference except the toxicity may be spread even further by way of produce and meat) In almost any summer that reservoir is contaminated by cyanobacteria and it is prone to drying up.
Thanks for that correction, Heidi.
The "fenceline" communities — always poor, often made up disproportionately of immigrants or other people of color — are always the first in the firing line. It's the same everywhere. Rotten system.
The facts Hedi:No name-calling, no opinion, just throwing out facts based on measurement data by multiple groups, including the EPA:
EPA Air Monitoring Results Near Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire Not Exceeding Health Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not detected any risk to public health based on air monitoring data from stations near the Vistra Energy Battery Power Plant in Monterey Bay, California.
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-air-monitoring-results-near-moss-landing-vistra-battery-fire-not-exceeding-health
In addition to EPA’s monitoring, Vistra Energy brought in a third-party environmental consultant with air monitoring expertise, right after the fire started, to conduct roaming and fixed air monitoring in communities. Air monitoring stations have been installed where EPA’s stations had been located to continue air monitoring as the response progresses. An air monitor location map is located at the County’s incident website. The Monterey Bay Air Resources District also monitors particulate matter through their regulatory air monitors and wildfire smoke sensors.
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-completes-air-monitoring-near-moss-landing-vistra-battery-fire
EPA's air monitoring instruments did not detect any readings above the “Moderate” AQI classification throughout the incident.
https://www.readymontereycounty.org/emergency/2025-moss-landing-vistra-power-plant-fire/soot-particulate-matter-air-monitoring-model
Locals contracted with experts to conduct independent testing and found significant pollution as well: https://neveragainmosslanding.org/interview-of-test-findings-with-brian-roeder/
I recommend watching independent reporting on the topic, Andrew, such as: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt26I5I31rNsoRPi2-_NXxbGK9tMgfNnY
The short version is: you can't always trust the government.
Remember, this is the same EPA that is currently having its budget decimated and that is thoroughly corrupted by industry reps via revolving doors and lobbyists. EPA standards and "safe" levels are regularly invalidated via more thorough testing in, for example, the EU (where many products and chemicals that are allowed in the U.S. are banned as toxic). Also, remember that there are technical limitations to the methodologies employed during this testing. This is discussed in some of the videos I linked.
Data anyone here can verify, references to data provided: A recent study shows that the battery storage (BESS) failure incident rate dropped 98% between 2018 and 2024, going from around 9.2 failures per GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) deployed in 2018 to around 0.2 in 2023. This, according to the US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and data analytics provider TWAICE.
https://www.energy-storage.news/battery-storage-failure-incident-rate-dropped-97-between-2018-and-2023/#:~:text=The%20rate%20of%20failure%20incidents,to%20around%200.2%20in%202023.
In addition, studies from organizations like EPRI show that between 2017 and 2022, U.S. energy storage deployments increased by more than 18 times, from 645 MWh to 12,191 MWh. According to the EIA's "Electric Power Monthly" report, which includes data through September 2024, solar power generation shot up by 25.9% compared to the first nine months of 2023. EIA.gov stated that Solar and battery storage will make up 81% of new U.S. electric-generating capacity in 2024. The U.S. battery energy storage system market size was estimated at USD 711.9 million in 2023 (Grand View Research Report). The data clearly shows more BESS, yet fewer fires.
Where are all the fires?
It seems that you are discussing battery failure when your linked article does point out that "65% of incidents could be linked to operation and integration of batteries," not battery failure. In addition " no public resource exists that categorises (sp) failure events by their cause, while in the US, there are no requirements anywhere at federal, state or local jurisdiction level for incident reporting. There are often even legal barriers that prevent details of detailed root cause analysis from being made public even where they have been carried out."
Two major fires were described in the article and it took me little time to find this article which speaks of 40 fires in large storage systems and "at least 25,000 incidents of fire or overheating in lithium-ion batteries over a recent five-year period,"
https://www.tuvsud.com/en-us/resource-centre/stories/lithium-ion-battery-fires-myth-vs-reality
Heidi, no fire has ever escaped a BESS facility in history to burn anything outside it. EPRI's Battery Energy Storage System Failure Incident Database, which compiles information about stationary battery energy storage system (BESS) failure incidents, lists only 91 worldwide from 2011 to 2025. 38 are solar integration. So 91 fires 14 years, meanwhile in the US, there are on average 4000 gas station fires A YEAR.
Not only are BESS fires exceedingly rare, but current modern safety protocols are incredibly effective. The CSA Group* is a standards organization that develops standards in 57 areas and was established in 1919. The CSA conducted a test and video of a BESS under the latest safety standards UL9540A that will also be included in the forthcoming 2026 edition of NFPA 855, which, while pertaining to a US standard for fire safety, is also widely adopted around the world. Thermal runaway was introduced, and autonomous systems extinguished the fire in 37 seconds with no fire spread to any other modules.
The CSA BESS Video: player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1051974394/rendition/1440p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=1657675a17cf0b8e0b14266b2a40c9a121590dd46d40e65b84176c0e722abb0a
About the CSA: csagroup.org/testing-certification/testing/?srsltid=AfmBOopCMJn059FE3dnuTbKw01cb4kBOn65I8t23HZmTQAPurjrPUGGk
As for fires from other lithium-ion batteries, there are over 1.3 billion iPhones worldwide* with such batteries alone, many of which are carried in people's pockets. Simple question, yes or no: you don't own or use any products that utilize lithium-ion batteries?
* https://www.demandsage.com/iphone-user-statistics/
"Heidi, no fire has ever escaped a BESS facility in history to burn anything outside it.
I did not see where the escape of a fire from a storage facility was the topic of discussion. On the other hand the toxins released into the atmosphere by fire are impossible to contain on the particular site.
My use of a product that runs on lithium ion batteries was also NOT a part of the discussion which concerns facilities a hell of a lot larger than an iphone.
Simple question, yes or no: are you interested in discussing the topic of Max's article?
Thanks for the replies, Heidi! This op-ed focused on the topic of fires because it's relatable to the concerns the commmunity has, which are based on real and serious issues. As you point out, the main concern with industrial fires in the US today is pollution, not the fire spreading. And, I'm not so sure these fires are as rare as Andrew describes. I think there are parallels to the issue of EV fires as discussed by firefighter and engineer Captain Patrick Durham in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZtoihp64Oo