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Battery storageSouth KoreaEIR-0150

Battery storage fire at solar site in Geochang County, South Korea

Nov 2018Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fire1.3 MW
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 oldThe maker is named in 11 other entries (being named is not a finding of fault)
Where
Wicheon-myeon, Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea
What
Fire broke out in battery energy storage room
Injuries
None reported
Response
Fire crews extinguished the fire in one hour thirty minutes
Cause
Unconfirmed at time of reporting

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

What happened

In 2018 a fire broke out in the battery energy storage room of a solar power generation facility in Wicheon-myeon, Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The fire burned through a single storey prefabricated sandwich panel structure housing the storage equipment, affecting an area of around 17 square metres. Fire crews extinguished the fire in about one hour and thirty minutes. The site operated without on-site personnel and no injuries or fatalities were reported. The fire service estimated property damage at around 400 million won. Authorities opened an investigation, and the cause remained unconfirmed at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Reporting indicated that the battery system, manufactured by LG Chem, used a nickel manganese cobalt chemistry and had been in service for approximately seven months, in an outdoor, unmanned installation integrated with solar generation. No further contributing factors were confirmed in the available source.

Lessons learned

  1. Unmanned battery storage in solar sites needs automatic detection and remote alarm transmission.
  2. Nickel manganese cobalt batteries need close temperature and voltage monitoring in the first year.
  3. Fires in prefabricated sandwich panel enclosures need suppression suited to the structure.

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

Not yet known

  • Root cause of the fire
  • Battery system model
  • Duration of downtime

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

Source

knnews.co.kr

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: Battery storage incidents in South Korea, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Battery storage incidents in South Korea: 35 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Battery storage fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one.

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