Inverter fire during commissioning at Mannum Solar Farm Stage 2, South Australia
Jan 2024Published 1 May 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Mannum Solar Farm Stage 2, near Mannum, South Australia
- Operator
- Epic Energy
- What
- Inverter in shipping container ignited during commissioning
- Injuries
- Contractor sustained burn injuries, taken to hospital
- Cause
- Not reported
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Epic Energy
What happened
In January 2024, a fire occurred at Mannum Solar Farm Stage 2, near Mannum, South Australia, operated by Epic Energy, while the project was undergoing commissioning following completion of construction. An inverter housed within a shipping container ignited. A contractor on site sustained burn injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment. The local fire service attended with around ten firefighters and kept the fire contained to the affected container, preventing spread to the adjacent solar panel arrays.
Damage was reported at approximately A$250,000. The state work safety regulator and police attended the site for a workplace safety investigation. Repair work and the broader commissioning programme continued. The facility was not yet exporting power to the grid at the time of the incident.
Contributing factors
Public reporting and statements attributed to Epic Energy and the fire service described the immediate event as an inverter ignition within a shipping container. Causation analysis was reported as being carried out by the principal contractor in coordination with the state work safety regulator. No cause had been published in the sources reviewed, and no conclusion should be drawn here about the technical origin of the ignition or about the activities being undertaken at the time.
Lessons learned
- An inverter in a shipping container can ignite and cause burns to nearby workers. Operators should review live working procedures and personal protective equipment before commissioning energised power electronics.
- Fire in an inverter container can be contained by local firefighters if spread to arrays is prevented. Operators should maintain physical separation distances set at the design stage.
- Commissioning can resume after a fire once repairs are done. Asset owners should confirm sight of the commissioning plan and hazard assessments in advance.
More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, fire suppression and firefighting, design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cause of the inverter ignition
- Inverter model and age
- Duration of commissioning delay
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Site page: Mannum (status, dates and other incidents)
Published 2026-05-01. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
