Korea – Battery blaze at state data center casts shadow over ESS push
A battery fire in the backup power system at a key government data center is raising concerns over the country’s push to expand battery-based energy storage.
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The National Fire Agency said Sunday that the blaze at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon started when lithium-ion batteries caught fire in the facility’s uninterruptible power supply system.
It took 22 hours to fully extinguish the fire. Fire authorities said the only effective ways to extinguish the batteries involved dousing them with large volumes of water or submerging them in tanks.
Some batteries had already been moved as part of an ongoing fire safety precaution, but all 384 remaining lithium-ion batteries in the UPS were destroyed in the fire. The batteries, manufactured by LG Energy Solution, were installed in rack-mounted cabinets.
The fire disabled several key government IT systems, and it is still unclear whether the systems or the associated data can be restored.
Though the exact cause of the fire remains undisclosed, Kim Ki-seon, chief of the Yuseong Fire Station in Daejeon, explained during a press briefing on Saturday that the blaze started during a procedure to shut off power ahead of relocating the batteries.
NIRS had started the relocation as the UPS battery units were installed on the same floor as the servers, raising fire safety concerns. While two earlier stages of the relocation had been completed without incident, the fire broke out during the process of shutting down the batteries ahead of the third move.
Industry insiders note that, unlike energy storage systems — another type of battery energy storage — the basic safety designs and uses of UPS systems can make them more likely to catch fire. But the number of ESS fires in recent years and the difficulty of tackling them mean concerns are unlikely to stop at UPS safety. Both systems commonly use nickel-manganese-cobalt cells, which are generally considered more prone to fire risks than lithium iron phosphate alternatives.
A senior researcher, at a major battery firm on condition of anonymity, said:
Unlike large-scale ESS, which are equipped with multiple layers of safety features such as fire suppression in case of overheating or explosion, UPS units are relatively simpler,
“In many cases, the batteries in UPS systems are housed directly in racks or cabinets inside data centers, as if they are effectively exposed.”
The source, added:
This is why UPS systems need more than built-in suppression devices, requiring stricter maintenance and real-time monitoring of both the battery units and their placement to cover issues such as moisture, overheating and overload at battery connections, as well as ensuring proper ventilation,
A UPS acts as an emergency generator for equipment, providing short-term backup power to protect critical facilities such as data centers and hospitals, while ESS delivers utility-scale, long-duration storage to stabilize the grid and support renewable energy.
From 2018 to October 2022, there were 55 UPS fires, including the Kakao data center fire in October 2022, according to the Industry Ministry in the wake of the Kakao fire.
But even with the additional safety features, the Korea Electrical Safety Corp. says there were a total of 55 ESS-related fires between 2017 and June last year.
Sources say the scrutiny brought by Friday’s fire could slow the government’s push to expand large-scale ESS to provide the energy storage needed to offset the intermittency of wind and solar power.
Under the 11th Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity Supply and Demand, Korea estimates it will need about 23 gigawatts of long-duration ESS by 2038, with 2.22 GW set for installation by 2029.
That timeline could be moved forward, as the government has recently signaled plans to raise its renewable energy capacity targets under the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution and the sixth Basic Plan for New and Renewable Energy.
While the 11th plan set a 2030 target of 78 GW, the Environment Ministry suggested at a recent policy forum that at least 100 GW would be needed by 2030, and 130-160 GW by 2035. Expanding ESS is seen as central to achieving this goal.
The Korea Power Exchange’s series of ESS biddings, valued roughly at 2 trillion won ($14.2 billion), are also part of this strategy to attract investment and expand the operation of large-scale storage systems in line with the government’s higher renewable energy targets. Korean battery trio LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On have been going all out to secure these contracts.
The source, said:
Pushing the ESS initiative is important, but the government must also address the structural vulnerabilities of the national IT infrastructure,
The Land Ministry added Saturday that the NIRS battery fire also disrupted transportation and financial services, affecting discount verification for bus and rail tickets, post office debit card payments, mobile ID checks at airports and more.
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Korea – Battery blaze at state data center casts shadow over ESS push, source
