Topline
A fire broke out at a Tesla Megapack battery site in Australia on Friday while testing, fire authorities said while issuing a toxic smoke warning, in what appears to be a setback for one of the world’s biggest energy storage projects.
The fire broke out during initial testing of Tesla's Victorian Big Battery project—one of the ... [+]
Key Facts
French renewable energy giant Neoen, which runs the site, confirmed that the fire broke out on Friday morning during an initial trial of the Victorian Big Battery project—one of the largest batteries in the world.
Local authorities have since confirmed that the factory was quickly evacuated and the incident caused no injuries.
Both Neoen and Tesla are working with emergency services to tackle the situation, Reuters reported.
Neoen also noted that the battery site has been disconnected from the rest of the grid which means the incident will not have an impact on power supply in the area.
Fire rescue authorities in the state of Victoria said crews wearing breathing apparatus were working to stop the blaze.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, emergency services have issued a warning for toxic smoke in nearby areas and residents have been asked to move indoors and closed their windows and other air vents.
Key Background
When it begins operation, the Victoria Big Battery Megapack is set to become one of the largest batteries in the world. The battery is designed to offer 300 megawatts (MW) of peak power to the grid and can store up to 450 megawatt-hours (MWh) of power at any time. According to the project’s website, the giant battery’s stored energy can power one million households for half an hour. The giant battery is three times larger than the 100 MW Tesla battery project that was set up in South Australia in 2017. Since then, it has been upsized to output 150 MW of power. The battery project will be owned and operated by Neoen with the company paying for its construction and maintenance. Operational costs of the battery will be borne by consumers as part of their power bills. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, this arrangement has been criticized by industry representatives for lacking an independent assessment of its costs and benefits along with the lack of clarity on how it would participate in the region’s energy market. The project is seen as an essential element in the state of Victoria meeting its renewable energy use target of 50% by 2030.
Further Reading
Fire breaks out at Tesla Big Battery; toxic smoke warning issued (Sydney Morning Herald)
Fire breaks out in Tesla Megapack unit in Australia during testing (Reuters)
