- During initial testing last week on Friday 30th July at approximately 10 -10.15am, a fire broke out within one of the Tesla Megapacks at the Victorian Big Battery facility in Australia.
- The site was disconnected from the grid and there was no impact to electricity supply.
The local Country Fire Association (CFA) has declared the incident to be under control although the flames had only subsided by Friday evening. Tesla staff and contractors remained on site to monitor the temperature decline of the two affected battery packs.
Physical inspections and investigations have since got underway.
The cause of the fire has not been determined as yet.
The Victorian Big Battery is a 300 MW grid-scale battery storage project in Geelong, Australia which will store enough energy in reserve to power over one million Victorian homes for 1/2 an hour.
Fire authorities said the cause of the blaze was unknown. Image credit: Fire Rescue Victoria
The battery has a 250 MW grid service contract with AEMO under direction from the Victorian Government. It will support Victoria’s clean energy transition and secure reliable, affordable power for Victorians, helping the state meet its renewable energy target of 50% by 2030.
Neoen is working together with Tesla and network partner AusNet Services to deliver this project, which is one of the largest batteries in the world.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
