Photo: Victoria CFA
We told you about the Victorian Big Battery fire on July 30. Owned by Neoen, one of its 13-ton, 3 MWh Megapacks started burning when its very first tests were performed. The blaze has been controlled only at 5 PM (local time) on August 2 despite about 150 firefighters and more than 30 fire trucks dedicated to solving the situation since the beginning.
According to the Victoria CFA (Country Fire Authority), the fire spread to a nearby Megapack. The 9:30 AM update said that, although it has “subsided significantly,” it was still not under control. It took eight more hours for that to happen. CFA stated that the cause has not been revealed yet but that it will be investigated once “it is safe to do so.”
The Victorian Big Battery is the largest Megapack structure in Australia nowadays. Another company called Transgrid is building one for 50 MWh up to 75 MWh. Neoen aims for 300 MWh up to 450 MWh with the Victorian Big Battery. Before that, Neoen already had energy storage with Tesla Powerpacks that have not had any issues reported so far.
Soon after the fire started, local authorities warned about toxic smoke coming out of the blaze. The recommendations were that people avoided going out, closed all windows and doors, turned off heating and cooling systems, closed vents and fireplace flues, and did not exercise for prolonged periods.
On its official website, the Victorian Big Battery states that “EPA’s air monitors have shown that there has been good air quality in the local community.” That text brings a link to Victorian’s EPA page that stated the air quality on July 31 was good.
Now that the fire has been considered under control, CFA will keep a reduced number of firefighters and trucks on the scene to make sure the fire doesn’t reignite. They have opened all doors to the containers of the battery pack and found no signs of fire anymore, but they will monitor them every two hours for 24 hours as a precaution.
The Victorian Big Battery is the largest Megapack structure in Australia nowadays. Another company called Transgrid is building one for 50 MWh up to 75 MWh. Neoen aims for 300 MWh up to 450 MWh with the Victorian Big Battery. Before that, Neoen already had energy storage with Tesla Powerpacks that have not had any issues reported so far.
Soon after the fire started, local authorities warned about toxic smoke coming out of the blaze. The recommendations were that people avoided going out, closed all windows and doors, turned off heating and cooling systems, closed vents and fireplace flues, and did not exercise for prolonged periods.
On its official website, the Victorian Big Battery states that “EPA’s air monitors have shown that there has been good air quality in the local community.” That text brings a link to Victorian’s EPA page that stated the air quality on July 31 was good.
Now that the fire has been considered under control, CFA will keep a reduced number of firefighters and trucks on the scene to make sure the fire doesn’t reignite. They have opened all doors to the containers of the battery pack and found no signs of fire anymore, but they will monitor them every two hours for 24 hours as a precaution.
Google News