Heatwave grass fire at Wellington North Solar Farm cuts output 10 percent

What happened

In December 2025, a grass fire broke out shortly after midday at Wellington North Solar Farm, a utility scale solar PV facility of several hundred megawatts near Wellington, close to Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, operated and owned by Lightsource bp. The state rural fire service responded during a regional heatwave in which multiple bushfires were burning concurrently. Around 90 hectares within the site boundary burned and the fire was reported under control within about 90 minutes.

The facility was disconnected from the grid during the response. Emergency services left the site the following day and the operator returned the plant to service later that afternoon at reduced capacity. By the next day the site was reported to be operating at approximately 90 percent of capacity, the shortfall attributed in reporting to damage to modules and associated infrastructure within the burned area. The site uses sheep grazing for vegetation management and no animal injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Public reporting stated that the fire occurred during a state wide heatwave with multiple concurrent bushfires, and that Lightsource bp and the fire service were investigating the cause. No ignition source was established in reporting. Reporting also noted the presence of grass fuel within the site despite grazing being used for vegetation management. No information was published on fire detection or suppression arrangements at the site.

Lessons learned

1. Grass fuel at a solar farm can support rapid fire spread during a heatwave, so operators should supplement grazing with slashing and fuel load inspections before hot periods.
2. A solar farm fire requires grid disconnection and phased return to service, so operators should design electrical zoning to allow undamaged sections to restart while repairs continue.
3. Concurrent bushfires during a regional heatwave stretch rural fire service resources, so operators should agree access points, isolation plans and site familiarisation with responders in advance.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Exact cause of the fire
• Model and age of damaged modules
• Cost of repairs and lost output
• Duration of reduced capacity

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

pv magazine (pv-magazine.com)