Fire and explosion reported at solar-storage BESS in Hadong, South Korea

Oct 2019Published 11 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fireProvisional

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

From the recordRoot cause Failed part The maker is named in 11 other entries (being named is not a finding of fault)

We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.

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

What happened

A fire occurred in a battery energy storage system (BESS) at a solar-plus-storage facility in Hadong, South Korea, on 21 October 2019. A nearby resident reported hearing an explosion at the time of the incident. The cause was determined to be a sudden deterioration in the insulation performance of the battery system. The BESS used NMC lithium-ion battery cells supplied by LG Chem and was around 1.3 years old at the time. Damage was estimated at around one percent of the installed capacity. The incident is recorded in the EPRI BESS Failure Incident Database.

Contributing factors

Sudden deterioration in insulation performance within the battery system. The battery cells were supplied by LG Chem and used NMC chemistry, installed in an outdoor architecture as part of a solar integration application.

Lessons learned

Insulation resistance should be continuously monitored in outdoor battery storage systems, as degradation can develop gradually before triggering a fault.
Early warning systems capable of detecting insulation deterioration could help prevent escalation to fire or explosion.
Battery systems co-located with solar generation require the same rigorous electrical safety monitoring as standalone BESS installations, regardless of relatively young system age.

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

Standards referenced

EPRI

Source

sciencedirect.com

Published 2026-09-11. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

See the register's stories first in Google: add it as a preferred source.

Chart to reuse with this story: Hybrid co-located incidents in South Korea, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-0662 holds the manufacturer, the root cause and what failed as fields you can filter, count and export, with its 4 sources and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Manufacturer: ••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Sources: ••••••••••••••

Opens with either of these:

Once per person; every record, every page, for reading, and 1 free question to Ask the register; no subscription

Analyst, £39 a month

Ask the register any question in plain words and get a sourced answer in seconds (20 a month), plus the full record behind every entry. Cancel at any time. Limited-time price, rising to £79. Join now and keep £39.

See a complete record first, if you like.

Open the record in Lookup

Or get this one record free by email

Hybrid co-located incidents in South Korea: 20 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

See battery storage explosions.

Browse the full register or submit an incident.