Recent Energy Storage Fires in the U.S., Germany, and U.K. Raise Safety Concerns

In recent days, three energy storage system fires or explosions were reported in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, drawing renewed attention to safety concerns in the sector.

On February 18, a fire occurred at the Moss Landing energy storage facility in the U.S., marking its fourth incident. The fire lasted over eight hours, damaging more than 70% of the equipment. The fire occurred at the same location as a similar fire one month earlier, indicating a possible reignition. The previous incident was attributed to a failure in the internal fire suppression system, which led to the destruction of 40% of the battery units. Reports indicate that the battery cells were supplied by LG Energy Solution.

On February 19, an explosion at a residential property in northern Germany was preliminarily linked to an overcharged home solar storage system using LG Energy Solution lithium-ion batteries (9.8kWh or 7kWh), not lithium iron phosphate (LFP). On the same day, a fire broke out at an under-construction energy storage site in East Tilbury, Essex, U.K., caused by a malfunctioning battery unit.

Preliminary analyses point to LG Energy Solution’s nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries in multiple recent cases. Media reports indicate that over 70 thermal runaway incidents involving LG Energy Solution’s storage batteries have been recorded in recent years, leading to multiple recalls. In contrast, LFP batteries are known for their higher thermal stability.