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Fire breaks out at one of world’s largest battery storage facilities

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A raging fire as broken out at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities in California.

A fire at a battery facility on the site of Vistra Corp’s Moss Landing power plant in Monterey County, California, prompted orders for the evacuation of places nearby, the company and county officials said on Thursday.

The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon, an official at the Monterey County Sheriff’s office said, adding that about 40 per cent of the building had been consumed as of late Thursday.

The battery energy storage facility at Moss Landing is among the largest in the world, according to Vistra’s website.

Both Vistra and the county official said that all site personnel had been evacuated and no injuries were reported.

‘There are no active fire suppression efforts going on, as the best approach, according to fire staff, is to allow the building and batteries to burn,’ according to the Monterey Sheriff official.

Eyewitness video showed flames and smoke billowing from the facility as the sky grew orange around it.

Hundreds of residents were ordered to evacuate, and part of a nearby highway was closed, local media reported.

Burning fire at the site of Vistra Corp’s power plant in Moss Landing, California, on January 16, 2025

 

The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon

 

Eyewitness videos captured smoke and flames billowing into the sky as the fire raged on

 

Authorities stated that an investigation into the fire’s cause would begin once the blaze was fully extinguished

 

Fire crews remained on site monitoring the blaze, and in the air drones were deployed to see the extent of the damage.

No fire suppression took place, it was reported, as batteries must burn out themselves with no water being used.

Authorities stated that an investigation into the fire’s cause would begin once the blaze was fully extinguished.

Vistra Corp said yesterday in a statement to KION: ‘There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site. Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.

‘Earlier this afternoon, Vistra personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant site. All site personnel were safely evacuated.

‘The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished’.

The Moss Landing site is a key facility for renewable energy storage, making the incident a setback for Vistra and its sustainability initiatives.

An adjacent Tesla battery facility was not affected by the fire, the official added.

Some roads, including the Highway 1, were closed in the affected areas.

The plant is located about 100 miles south of San Francisco and is not close to the ongoing wildfires in the southern Californian city of Los Angeles.

The state has been on alert since the Los Angeles fires started about 10 days ago and has killed at least 27 people.

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This Little Girl was K!dnapped But Found with a Woman in Aba

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This young girl named Chinenye Confidence was recently kidnapped and has been found with a woman who was arrested yesterday at No. 10 Sam Avenue, Uratta Aba.

If you have any information about the child’s parents or guardians, please report to the Uratta Police Station Aba.

Let’s help reunite Chinenye with her family!

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Alleged N12.3b Fraud: Otudeko to Know Fate on Application Challenging Jurisdiction of Court, March 17

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Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, February 13, 2025 adjourned till March 17, 2025 for ruling on the application filed by Oba Otudeko, Chairman of Honeywell Group, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the multiple fraud charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision, EFCC.

Otudeko was to be arraigned alongside a former Managing Director of First Bank Plc, Olabisi Onasanya; a former board member of Honeywell, Soji Akintayo and a firm, Anchorage Leisure Limited on a 13-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N12.3 billion, which the defendants seek to evade with preliminary objections, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to try them.

At today’s proceeding, prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution had complied with the court’s directive to serve the defence with the charges and proof of evidence.

“The matter was adjourned till today for arraignment, but before the adjournment on January 20, the court had directed the prosecution to serve by substituted means the charges and proof of evidence on the defence and we served accordingly and we have affidavit to prove,” he said.

Otudeko’s counsel, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, however, notified the court of a fresh application, from his client, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case, served on the prosecution on January 29, 2025 and requested for a hearing date.
Counsel for the third defendant, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, similarly, informed the court that on February 10, 2025, he filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court which he said, has been served on the prosecution. The same application was also filed by counsel for the fourth defendant, A. Adedeji, SAN and served on the prosecution.

Confirming the development, prosecution counsel argued that hearing on the applications cannot go on due to the absence of Otudeko, the first defendant in court. “Few minutes ago, we received the first defendant’s affidavit for the record confirming that he travelled out of the country for medical reasons. I also confirm that I was served with a harvest of motions. I confirm receipt of the motion on notice from the first, third, and fourth defendants all challenging the court’s jurisdiction. They also asked the court to stay arraignment and also for outright acquittal and also that the court should not just quash the charge but dispense the appearance of defendants pending the arraignment of the defendant. For the absence of the first defendant, we may not be able to take the plea. We want an undertaking from the first defendant to know when he can come, so that we can take the arraignment,” he said.

Counsel for the third defendant, however, urged the court to proceed with the hearing of the application arguing that the absence of the first defendant is immaterial to the hearing of the application.

“The usual thing is to proceed with the application, however the prosecution said they cannot proceed because of the absence of the first defendant. The authorities support that an application can be heard even in the absence of the defendant. Jurisdiction is very rife and the law is clear, arraignment before an application will be prejudicial to the case,” he said. His submissions were adopted by counsel for the fourth defendant.

Prosecution counsel in his response, noted that the application of the first, third and fourth defendants urging the court to hear and determine the matter of jurisdiction and sundry prayers contained were untenable and urged the court to discountenance them.

“It appears to me that we are gradually in this case repeating the issue that occurred late last year. I refer the court to the Appeal Court’s decision on the case of Yahaya Bello, appeal no CA/ABJ/CR/534, the provision of 396(2) of ACJA 2015 reproduced above is very clear to the effect that any preliminary objection to the validity of the charge can only be heard after the plea has been taken. Asking the court to hear and determine a preliminary objection while the first defendant is in the UK with nothing to say than that he is on admission is injustice. It is unfair to him for us to be shaving his hair while he is in a mansion in the UK. I urge your lordship to bind yourself with the decision of Court of Appeal that I just cited,” he said.

Oyedepo further argued that: “The approach by the defence is taking is taking us back to Egypt where we have left. The application is incurably defective. It is dead on arrival. I should not dignify an illegality. The law says you can’t raise it. I urge the court to adjourn for arraignment and then after the plea of the defendant, objections can be raised. Except there is amendment to Section 396 of ACJA, I urge your lordship not to accede to the request of the defence. Don’t give judicial blessings to the implied conduct of the defendant to the effect that I stay in the house and my lawyer will deal with it. Ask him to come.

“No private citizen whether corporate or entity has the requisite power to condone criminal allegations or compound an offence. It cannot be said that there is no prima facie case. The provision of 396(2) divests my lord of the requisite power to hear an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court or charge before the plea is taken. Those prayers cannot be entertained because the law says so.”

He specifically requested that the defendant be present in court at the next sitting.

After listening to the arguments, Justice Aneke adjourned till March 17, 2025, for ruling on the applications.

Visit www.efcc.gov.ng for more stories

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Security guard jailed for stealing 30 day-old chicks

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A Magistrates’ Court in Jos has sentenced a 36-year-old security guard, Justice Terfa, to 18 months in prison for defrauding a woman of 30 day-old chicks and the money intended for their care.
Magistrate Shawomi Bokkos delivered the conviction on Wednesday after Terfa pleaded guilty to the charges.

The court provided an option for a ₦30,000 fine or six months in jail, in addition to a ₦500,000 compensation to the victim. Failure to pay the compensation would result in an additional one-year prison sentence.

Prosecutor Inspector Ibrahim Gokwat informed the court that the case was reported to the Anglo-Jos Police Station on December 21, 2024, by the complainant, Anthonia Osirho.

According to Gokwat, the complainant had entrusted Terfa with 30 day-old chicks and ₦300,000 to cover their feeding and medical needs, with plans to rear the birds for the Christmas season. However, Terfa sold 29 of the chicks and misappropriated the funds for his own use.

 

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