A lithium battery storage system housed in four containers caught fire this week in eastern Germany, prompting evacuations as firefighters continue cooling the facility.
From ESS News
Firefighters are responding to a blaze at a 1.5 MW lithium battery energy storage system in Bautzen, Germany, where the facility is being continuously cooled to reduce the risk of further incidents.
The fire broke out July 21 at the battery storage facility in the central area of Bautzen. The system consists of a lithium battery installation housed in four shipping containers with a total capacity of 1.5 MW, according to a city spokesperson. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and authorities have contacted the facility owner.
Firefighting efforts have been complicated by the characteristics of battery fires and limited operational experience with such incidents, according to the city. Rather than directly extinguishing the fire, firefighters have been cooling the battery containers with 5,000 liters of water per minute to reduce the risk of thermal escalation or explosion. The containers are also being monitored using drones.
