Fire destroys 28 battery packs at KEPCO ESS site in Daejeon
Sept 2026Published 21 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- KEPCO Power ICT Daejeon Center, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
- Operator
- Daejeon Center
- What
- Fire in outdoor ESS container burned 28 lithium-ion battery packs
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- 24 equipment and 69 personnel extinguished fire after 3 hours 58 minutes
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): KEPCO Power ICT Daejeon Center
What happened
A fire broke out at around 6:25am on 21 September 2026 in an outdoor container housing an energy storage system (ESS) at the KEPCO Power ICT Daejeon Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. The ESS is located on the premises of KEPCO's Electric Power Research Institute but is managed by the Daejeon Center. Fire authorities deployed 24 pieces of equipment and 69 personnel, fully extinguishing the blaze approximately three hours and 58 minutes later, at around 10:23am.
The fire completely burned 28 lithium-ion battery packs housed in two racks. There were no casualties. To prevent reignition, fire crews separated each battery pack and submerged them in water-filled immersion tanks. Police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause and the scale of the damage.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by police and fire authorities.
Lessons learned
- Outdoor containerised lithium-ion ESS fires can spread across racks, so operators must install rapid detection and internal suppression systems.
- Lithium-ion battery fires risk reignition, so response plans must include separation and immersion of each pack.
More lessons on detection and monitoring, spacing, layout and fire spread, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Battery pack model and age
- Cost of the damage
- Downtime of the ESS
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Daejeon
Published 2026-09-21. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
