Work continues on deconstruction of the old Moss Landing power plant.

Demolition continues at the old Moss Landing power plant, as the energy company Vistra moves forward in a roughly three-year process to dismantle the defunct plant. 

Work began in October 2021, and some of the most visible work, viewable from Moss Landing Harbor and Highway 1, is now underway, and expected to continue into next year. Vistra is targeting June 2024 for completion of the demolition process, according to spokesperson Jenny Lyon. 

"As we continue to revitalize the Moss Landing power plant site to meet the power needs of the future, we are in the process of safely dismantling the superstructure of the old power plant and recycling the scrap from the retired units," Lyon writes in an email. 

The retired natural gas units are coming down; the pair of 500-foot-tall smokestacks will remain, although they are not in functional use. The plant began providing power in 1950.

Texas-based Vistra has owned the plant since 2018, and is using the site for a different kind of energy: lithium-ion batteries. In August, the company completed Phase III expansion of its battery storage facility, bringing capacity to 550 megawatts, the largest of its kind in the world. 

The 350-megawatt Phase III project is made up of 122 containers that house a total of over 110,000 battery modules. Vistra operates under an agreement with PG&E, which transmits the power through the grid. 

"We continue to evaluate the site for future expansions," Lyon says.