Ageing battery storage fire destroys building at Angang-eup solar site
Dec 2025Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Angang-eup solar site, Gyeongju-si, South Korea
- What
- Fire destroyed eight LG battery units and building
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Under investigation
- Outcome
- Building and eight units destroyed after eight years
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): LG Energy Solution
What happened
A fire broke out at a battery energy storage system co-located with a solar power facility in Angang-eup, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, destroying eight cabinet-type lithium-ion battery units, manufactured by LG Energy Solution, and the lightweight steel-framed building housing them. The system had been in operation for approximately eight years. Before visible smoke was reported, the system automatically sent an abnormality alert to the remote device manager's mobile phone; by the time the manager reached the site, smoke was already visible.
Fire crews took around three and a half hours to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported. Investigators stated the fire spread from inside the battery enclosure outward, ruling out an external ignition source. The precise technical cause remains under investigation, though experts commenting on the case suggested age-related battery degradation as a possible contributing factor rather than an original manufacturing defect, since fires linked to cell manufacturing faults typically occur soon after commissioning rather than after years of operation.
Contributing factors
The system had operated for approximately eight years since installation, and experts suggested age-related battery degradation as a possible factor, though this was not officially confirmed at the time of reporting. An automated fault-alert system notified a remote manager but did not appear to trigger any local suppression or emergency shutdown before the fire had already progressed to visible smoke.
Lessons learned
- Remote alerts alone may allow fire to progress; pair them with automatic isolation or suppression triggers on battery systems.
- Ageing lithium-ion units need closer degradation checks, as normal end-of-life should not produce fire.
- Lightweight steel buildings can be lost entirely once a battery fire starts, so use fire-rated enclosures.
More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Battery unit model and specifications
- Cost of damage and lost generation
- Downtime before site returns to service
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
