Fire breaks out at 100MWh Australian Tesla battery

A fire broke out at the 50MW/100MWh Tesla Bouldercombe Battery Project near Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia on Tuesday evening (26 September).

The energy storage system –which uses 40 Tesla Megapack units – only began operation in July this year and was built at a cost of around A$60 million.

A statement from the QueenslandFire and Emergency Services said: “Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) crews remain on scene of a structure fire on Childs Avenue, Bouldercombe. The fire is currently contained with crews continuing to monitor the situation. Low-lying smoke is expected to persist in the area over the coming hours. Nearby residents are advised to keep doors and windows closed, and those suffering from a respiratory condition should keep their medications close by.”

The project was developed by Genex, which signed a connection agreement with Powerlink to enable the project to connect into the adjacent 275kV/132kV Bouldercombe substation. The project was connected into an available 132kV bay at the Bouldercombe substation, which is located in a key part of the Queensland electricity grid.

A report published earlier this month by Firetrace International, a supplier of fire suppression technology to the renewable energy industry, concluded that there was a real danger public opposition to energy storage could grow significantly due to fire risk fears, threatening critical battery deployment and, as a result, net zero goals.

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