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Hybrid co-locatedSouth KoreaEIR-0149

Fire destroys 1,200 battery modules at Wando-gun solar storage site

Jan 2019Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fire
Reported damageFrom the sourceHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersReported figure
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hiddenAsset hidden years old
Where
Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province, South Korea
Manufacturer
INCELL
What
Fire destroyed 1,200 battery modules
Injuries
None reported
Cause
Electrical cause, fuller investigation ongoing

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): INCELL

What happened

In early 2019, a fire broke out in the battery energy storage system serving a solar power plant in Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The blaze destroyed part of the battery building, an area of about 61 square metres, along with roughly 1,200 battery modules housed inside, which were supplied by manufacturer INCELL. No injuries were reported. Emergency services attended in force and brought the fire under control within just over an hour.

The system used lithium ion batteries in an indoor configuration and had been in service for just over a year at the time of the incident. Fire authorities initially attributed the fire to an electrical cause, with a fuller investigation into the precise origin ongoing at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Fire authorities were reported as suspecting an electrical fault, described as provisional pending further investigation. No other contributing factors, such as design, installation quality or environmental conditions, were reported in the source.

Lessons learned

  1. Indoor lithium ion battery rooms for solar storage need early detection and suppression to stop fire spread beyond one module group.
  2. Electrical faults in new battery systems require cell level monitoring from day one to catch issues before they ignite.
  3. Initial electrical cause findings must be checked by full root cause work, as early reports can change.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Precise origin of the fire
  • Battery model details
  • Cost of the damage
  • Length of system downtime

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

Source

news.tvchosun.com

Site page: Wando-Gun solar project I (status, dates and other incidents)

Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Hybrid co-located incidents in South Korea, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Hybrid co-located incidents in South Korea: 20 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

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