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EPA Settlement Mandates Safety and Monitoring for Otay Mesa Battery Fire Cleanup

It compels Gateway Energy Storage to roll out rigorous protocols under federal and local oversight through late August.

Cal Fire crews battled a battery fire inside one of the buildings at the Gateway Energy Storage Facility in Otay Mesa for 17 days in May. (Cal Fire)
A substation at the LS Power Group Gateway Energy Storage project in Otay Mesa, California. (Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Overview

  • The non-monetary agreement requires Gateway Energy Storage to implement extensive safety measures, conduct environmental monitoring and submit detailed work plans and progress reports to the EPA.
  • Cleanup operations at the 250-megawatt Otay Mesa facility are ongoing under the supervision of the EPA, San Diego Fire-Rescue and San Diego County officials, with removal of impacted battery packs targeted by late August.
  • The EPA will continue overseeing an active investigation into the root cause of the May 15, 2024, lithium-ion blaze that smoldered until May 28 without causing injuries.
  • REV Renewables, which owns Gateway Energy Storage, completed thorough battery testing earlier this year and has returned a subset of units to service while remediation proceeds.
  • The settlement follows similar incidents in California and underscores growing regulatory scrutiny as the state expands utility-scale energy storage to meet its carbon-free electricity goals.