ESS fire at Yeongam Solar Power Complex, Daemyung Energy, South Korea
Dec 2022Published 11 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Yeongam solar power complex, Yeongam-gun, South Korea
- Operator
- Daemyung Energy
- What
- Fire broke out in one of 24 ESS buildings on 27 December 2022
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- Yeongam Fire Station sent 21 vehicles and 45 personnel
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Daemyung Energy
What happened
A fire broke out at 4:28pm on 27 December 2022 in one of 24 energy storage system (ESS) buildings at the Yeongam solar power complex, operated by Daemyung Energy in Geumjeong-myeon (Geummyeon-myeon), Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The site combines a 94MW solar array with a 251MWh battery storage system used to shift peak generation for grid balancing. The fire was contained to one of the 24 ESS buildings, each of reinforced concrete construction.
The Yeongam Fire Station dispatched 21 vehicles, including pump and chemical trucks, and 45 personnel. Fire officials stated that because it was a battery fire, efforts focused on preventing spread rather than extinguishing it directly, allowing it to burn out. Casualties were not reported in the source. This was the same site where a separate ESS fire occurred in June 2018, linked to a wind farm battery installation, which destroyed a 12MWh battery, a 4MW power conversion system and a building.
Contributing factors
The site had previously experienced an ESS fire in 2018 linked to a co-located wind farm battery system. Industry commentary cited in the source suggested that battery aging, insufficient continuous monitoring and inadequate separation between ESS buildings were contributing risk factors in recurring ESS fires nationally, though no official cause had been confirmed for this specific incident at the time of reporting.
Lessons learned
- Prior ESS fires at the same site call for extra monitoring and separation checks to limit repeat events.
- Reinforced concrete ESS buildings can contain a battery fire to one unit when spread is prevented.
- Battery fires require plans for burn-out periods as direct extinguishing is not used.
More lessons on detection and monitoring, spacing, layout and fire spread, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Official cause of the fire
- Battery model and age
- Duration of downtime
- Cost of the damage
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-11. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
