Battery storage fire at solar plant in Chilgok, South Korea

A fire broke out at approximately 14:33 on 7 April 2023 in the battery energy storage system (ESS) facility of a solar power plant in Dongmyeon-myeon, Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Fire authorities dispatched 86 personnel and 31 vehicles to the scene. The blaze took around six hours to bring under control, with full extinguishment declared at approximately 20:36 the same day. A lightweight steel-frame structure and a 9,120 kWh ESS unit were damaged by the fire. No injuries were reported. Fire and police authorities stated they were investigating the exact cause and the extent of the damage, which was estimated by fire authorities at approximately 1.683 billion Korean won.

The exact cause of the fire had not been determined at the time of reporting; fire and police authorities stated an investigation was ongoing.

1. ESS fires at solar-plus-storage sites can take several hours to bring under control even with a substantial firefighting response, underlining the need for robust on-site fire suppression and early detection systems.
2. Root cause investigations following ESS fires should be published where possible to help the wider industry learn from unexplained ignition events.
3. Co-located solar and storage assets should ensure structures housing ESS equipment are designed to limit fire spread to protect surrounding infrastructure.

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