The Wire - January 17, 2025

//The Wire//2000Z January 17, 2025//
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//BLUF: FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CALIFORNIA BATTERY FACILITY. INAUGURATION PLANS CONTINUE IN WASHINGTON D.C.//

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-HomeFront-

California: A fire broke out at the Vistra Power Plant in Moss Landing overnight. So far the cause of the fire has not yet been disclosed, however the fire appears to have originated in one of the battery storage facilities at the plant. AC: The Vistra Power Plant is not a standard power plant, having been retrofit over the years to comply with California law. What began as a standard natural gas power generation facility, has increased to become what is claimed as being the largest Lithium-battery-based energy storage facility on Earth, storing roughly 750 megawatts of power. It is one of these annexes (one of the facilities housing exceptionally large battery banks) that the fire reportedly originated in. As such, this is not simply a fire at a natural gas plant, but rather a fire at a lithium battery storage facility.

In Los Angeles, societal disorder continues as the recent wildfires have spread authorities thin. Yesterday afternoon, multiple assailants on dirt bikes carried out an hour-long joyriding spree in Los Angeles, interfering with traffic throughout the afternoon.

Washington D.C. - Plans continue for the inauguration of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on Monday. This morning, the plan was announced to move the swearing in ceremony indoors, to the Capitol rotunda, allegedly due to cold weather concerns.

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Analyst Comments: This is almost certainly not due to weather concerns. Considering the high-profile nature of the event, the multiple attempts on Trump's life (specifically due to sniper threats), and the difficulty of securing the National Mall in the wake of the various proficiency concerns present amongst the US Secret Service, this event moving indoors is almost certainly more of a security precaution than anything else. This is certainly not a bad idea, and quite helpful for the various counterterrorism agencies working the event. However, concealing these concerns when everyone can see the weather excuse is flimsy, is disingenuous at best.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
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