A toxic blaze broke out during the testing of a Tesla megapack at the Victorian Big Battery project in Moorabool near Geelong on Friday, July 30, according to ABC News.
A 13-tonne lithium battery was engulfed in flames, which then spread to an adjacent battery bank. Crews were forced to let the fire burn overnight.
“If we try and cool them down it just prolongs the process,” the CFA’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer Ian Beswicke said.
The fire continued to burn over the weekend, with fire crews awaiting experts from Tesla to assist in opening the Megapack battery that first caught ablaze.
The blaze began during testing of the Victorian Big Battery, which was recently registered by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and permitted to begin operating at partial capacity.
A toxic smoke warning was issued near Geelong, with residents advised to close windows and fireplace flues, and bring their pets inside in the Batesford, Bell Post Hill, Lovely Banks and Moorabool areas.
No-one was injured and the site was been evacuated. AEMO said the battery had been isolated and disconnected from the main electricity grid and there were “no implications” for supply.
Related article: Power Melbourne: plans for inner-city battery network revealed
Owned by French-based company Neoen, the Geelong battery is set to be the biggest grid-scale battery in Australia. It will have a full capacity of 350MW/450MWh once installation is completed, allowing a significant increase in storage and generation in the Victorian energy market.
With the AEMO this week issuing the project two DUIDs (dispatchable unit identifiers) for its storage and generation capabilities, the Victorian Big Battery was allowed to begin operation up to its first ‘hold point’ of around 30MW. The battery would support Victoria’s clean energy transition as it aims to provide more reliable, affordable power for Victorians as the state continues towards its renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030.
The Victorian Big Battery is roughly twice the size of the Hornsdale Big Battery in South Australia, with both operating on Tesla Megapack battery modules. The Hornsdale Big Battery, also owned by Neoen, was at a time the biggest of its kind in the world. A project currently planned for Kurri Kurri in New South Wales intends to become the world’s largest grid-scale battery with capacity of up to 1,200MW.
The Victorian Big Battery was built to improve grid security, providing extra capacity during the peak summer months. The battery would also unlock up to an extra 250MW of peak capacity on the existing Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector through a contract with AEMO.
