Battery storage fire in electrical room at SeAH Besteel Gunsan Plant, South Korea
Oct 2024Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Electrical room, SeAH Besteel Gunsan Plant, Gunsan-si, South Korea
- What
- Fire in peak-shaving battery energy storage system
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- Fire crews took two hours to control blaze
- Cause
- Under investigation
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): SeAH Besteel
What happened
A fire broke out around midday in the electrical room of the SeAH Besteel Gunsan Plant, a steel manufacturing plant located in Sorong-dong, Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla Province), South Korea, where a peak-shaving battery energy storage system was installed. Fire crews took approximately two hours to bring the blaze under control. Workers at the site evacuated as a precaution and no injuries were reported. The plant's electrical room, including equipment housed there, was damaged or destroyed by the fire.
Authorities stated that the fire was believed to have originated in the battery storage system, though the precise technical cause had not been confirmed at the time of reporting. Police and fire investigators were examining the site to determine the exact origin and extent of the damage. No chemical leak or wider environmental impact was reported in connection with the incident.
Contributing factors
Not reported beyond the fire being linked to the battery energy storage system installed in the plant's electrical room.
Lessons learned
- A battery fire in an electrical room can destroy adjacent plant equipment, so operators should verify fire separation and detection for behind-the-meter BESS.
- BESS fires in occupied rooms can take two hours to control, so plans must rely on early detection and remote isolation rather than manual intervention.
More lessons on detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Precise technical cause of the fire
- BESS model and age
- Extent of the damage
- Downtime and repair cost
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name SeAH
Other entries that name Gunsan
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
