Battery module fire contained at Valley Center Battery Storage Project, California
Apr 2022Published 8 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Valley Center Battery Storage Project, Valley Center, San Diego County, California
- Operator
- Terra-Gen
- What
- Small electrical failure in one battery module
- Injuries
- None reported
- Outcome
- Event contained to single battery module
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): LG Energy Solution, Terra-Gen
What happened
A small electrical failure occurred within a single battery module at the Valley Center Battery Storage Project, a recently commissioned lithium-ion battery energy storage facility in Valley Center, San Diego County, California, operated and owned by Terra-Gen, using battery modules manufactured by LG Energy Solution. The fault produced smoke, which triggered the site's fire suppression and detection systems. According to the local fire marshal, the systems operated as designed and the event was contained to a single battery module, described as roughly the size of a DVD case.
An adjacent battery enclosure also shut down automatically after detecting smoke, even though it was not directly affected, which the fire marshal characterised as an overly cautious response. Multiple fire engines from local fire protection districts attended the site as a precaution. No injuries were reported and there was no significant fire beyond the contained module-level event.
Contributing factors
An electrical failure within a single battery module produced smoke that activated fire detection and suppression systems; smoke also triggered a conservative automatic shutdown of an adjacent, unaffected enclosure.
Lessons learned
- Lithium-ion battery modules need smoke detection and suppression sized for module level events so that a fault stays inside one module.
- Smoke detection in BESS sites can shut down adjacent enclosures that are not affected, so operators should plan for this loss of availability.
- Module level containment reduces the need for external fire crews, so response plans can focus on isolation and exclusion zones.
More lessons on detection and monitoring, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Battery module model and age
- Duration of site downtime
- Cost of repairs
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Published 2026-09-08. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
