With completion of its third expansion in May 2023, the Moss Landing battery energy storage facility has become the largest of its kind in the world. Phase III expanded the facility’s capacity by 350 megawatts/1,400-megawatt-hours, bringing Moss Landing’s total energy storage capacity up to 750 MW/3,000 MWh. To meet the proposed energy density of this expansion, the project team had to develop and integrate a customized solution for the project’s 122 containers because there weren’t any commercially available options. Crews designed and installed 122 enclosures to house 113,000 battery modules across the 13-acre site.

Since the repetitive nature of lifting and installing battery modules can be grueling for workers, the project team designed a rig and assembly line system that allowed craft labor to install the batteries safely and efficiently. Modules would be loaded on the rig and pulled up to the install team via a control system that allowed members to install the battery modules with virtually no strain on their backs. Across 225,000 worker hours, the project team logged zero lost-time and zero recordable incidents, all with more than 200 craft workers on site daily. Everyone on the site was given stop-work authority, and Burns & McDonnell worked closely with the local fire department to create a safe environment. The contractor also educated employees on thermal runaway, developed fire-prevention responses and monitored codes and permits to keep abreast of changes.