Fire risk sparks concern as battery project advances in Victoria
Community fire concerns have increased around large-scale battery projects in Australia, according to Renew Economy.
The outlet reported that the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria has been working with stakeholders such as EnergyAustralia and technology provider Wärtsilä to address risks linked to battery energy storage systems (BESS), especially thermal runaway fires.
While major battery fires remain rare in large systems, CFA representatives attended the sod-turning ceremony of the Wooreen big battery in February, where safety concerns were highlighted by both emergency services and the public.
Opposition has also been voiced in the town of Dederang, where CFA volunteers told ABC’s 7.30 that they lacked the training and equipment to deal with battery fires, which differ in nature and toxicity from grass or scrub fires.
Community concerns have escalated following global incidents, including a major fire at California’s Moss Landing Power Station, which burned through older NMC lithium-ion batteries.
CFA and industry responses to battery fire risks
The CFA said in a December statement that its Specialist Risk and Fire Safety Unit works with developers to ensure fire safety is factored into renewable energy sites.
The authority added that its crews are trained for multiple hazard types, including thermal events involving batteries.
Mishaal SyedNaveed, senior fire protection engineer at Wärtsilä, told Renew Economy that community confidence hinges on trust and open dialogue.
SyedNaveed said: “The first thing is, we’re in this battery project together.
“We’re not here to just dump our technology and leave. We have a long-term service agreements with many of our projects. So we’re in this project together, alongside the operator.”
SyedNaveed explained that firefighting strategies for BESS events differ from conventional approaches and emphasised the importance of defensive, not direct, suppression.
He said: “We have advised a ‘let it burn’ approach, let that fuel consume itself out. And as long as you keep that thermal event contained … into that one spot and don’t let it spread, then that’s not such a concern for the surrounding environment and it’s a manageable event.”
Explaining toxicity concerns and safety testing
Addressing concerns raised by residents about toxic smoke, SyedNaveed said the emissions from BESS fires were chemically similar to household fires.
He stated: “The honest answer is the gas composition in a battery fire is quite similar to that of a house fire.”
He acknowledged the presence of CO2, CO, and hydrogen fluoride in the smoke but noted that household items made of plastics often release similar compounds during fires.
SyedNaveed pointed to regulatory investigations such as the 2023 New York State Safety Working Group findings, which found no evidence of wide-scale spread of toxic materials from BESS fires.
He also explained that BESS designs have evolved, particularly in their use of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, which are more stable than older chemistries such as nickel-manganese-cobalt.
“LFP provides more stability and is less prone to thermal runaway compared to NMC. This was a big lesson learned from the Moss Landing incident,” he said.
Standards, fire modelling and design resilience
SyedNaveed told Renew Economy that fire risk mitigation depends on factors ranging from cell selection to site design.
He noted the role of fire modelling and robust testing protocols, including large-scale simulations where enclosures are deliberately ignited.
“We have done our fire testing from a cell, to a module, to the unit, and even a large-scale test level,” he said.
These tests demonstrated that in simulations, fires could be contained to a single enclosure without triggering thermal events in neighbouring units.
SyedNaveed added that Wärtsilä’s testing goes beyond compliance benchmarks, aiming to model worst-case scenarios to ensure system integrity.
He also noted that in large-scale burn tests, battery systems in adjacent containers continued to operate without interruption.
Multi-layered prevention and community engagement
According to SyedNaveed, prevention is embedded in detection systems that monitor voltage, heat and pressure at the cell level.
He said: “Everything, starting from the actual battery cell – whether there’s a voltage spike, a temperature increase, or there’s some abnormality – can be detected within what we call the battery management system (BMS).”
The BMS communicates with broader energy management systems to provide early alerts of anomalies.
Additional hardware, such as gas and smoke detection, is deployed within the battery enclosures to provide layered monitoring.
Mint Renewables, the developer behind the 200 MW/400 MWh Dederang battery project, told Renew Economy it was aware of public concerns.
Kim van Hattum, Mint Renewables’ interim head of Australia, said: “We remain committed to community engagement and will continue to work hard to reassure the community and the authorities that our project can co-exist safely and provide benefits to the local area and Australia more widely.”
Battery fires in Australia raise safety concerns for big storage projects: Summary
Renew Economy reported on growing concerns in Victoria about battery fires in large energy storage systems.
The CFA is involved in planning for BESS projects, including Wooreen, due to fire safety risks.
Dederang residents and CFA volunteers raised concerns about battery fire toxicity and emergency preparedness on ABC’s 7.30.
Wärtsilä engineer Mishaal SyedNaveed stated that community trust requires open dialogue and clear fire response strategies.
He said defensive fire tactics, not direct suppression, are recommended for lithium-ion battery fires.
He noted that BESS fire emissions are chemically similar to household fires.
SyedNaveed also cited regulatory findings indicating no widespread toxic spread from recent BESS fires.
He explained that newer batteries use more stable chemistries like LFP.
He said robust safety testing simulates worst-case fire scenarios.
Wärtsilä has conducted burn tests showing fires can be contained without spreading.
Detection systems monitor temperature, voltage and gas emissions in real time.
Mint Renewables said it will continue engaging with the community to build confidence in its project.
By: Battery fires in Australia raise safety concerns for big storage projects
