Smoke and fire incident at Battery Box, Pinhoe Road, Exeter

What happened

Emergency services were called to the Battery Box battery energy storage system on Pinhoe Road, Exeter, Devon, after smoke was seen coming from the unit. The system had been recently installed on leased land and connects to the electricity grid to store renewable energy and discharge it at peak demand. The operator, Amp Clean Energy, shut down the batteries in line with standard safety procedures once smoke was observed. The fire and rescue service isolated the unit from a nearby substation, established a cordon, and cooled the affected cabinet using a hose reel.

Amp Clean Energy stated the smoke originated from the cabinet housing the connection point to the electricity network, rather than from the battery modules themselves, which it said were unaffected. An investigation into the cause was launched jointly with the network operator. No cause had been confirmed at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Amp Clean Energy reported that the smoke originated from the grid connection cabinet rather than the battery units. No link to ambient temperature was identified by the operator, though this had not been confirmed. The cause remained under investigation.

Lessons learned

1. Grid connection cabinets at battery sites need routine thermal and electrical checks as well as the battery modules.
2. Operators should agree isolation steps with the network operator in advance so fire crews can act quickly.
3. Joint reviews with the network operator help separate grid faults from battery faults.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Exact cause of the smoke
• Model and age of the cabinet
• Duration of downtime
• Cost of repairs

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

Source

BBC News (bbc.com)