Fire Breaks Out at $60 Million Tesla Battery Station in Queensland

Bouldercombe battery station catches fire just two months after commencing operation.

This photograph taken shows the Telsa logo on a battery at the largest electricity storage plant in Les Deux-Acren, Belgium, on Dec. 1, 2022.Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images

A fire has erupted at a Telsa lithium battery storage facility in Bouldercombe, Queensland, just two months after commencing operation.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) arrived at a battery storage facility owned by Genex, a company focused on developing renewable energy generation and storage projects across Australia, at 7:45 p.m. on Sept. 26 to deal with the fire after receiving tips about the incident.

A QFES spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the fire broke out in a battery unit at the facility. However, it was unsure how it occurred in the first place.

While the fire was contained within that single battery unit, it was not totally extinguished.

The QFES spokesperson added that there was no casualty, and the firefighters left the site at 2 p.m. on Sept. 27.

In an official statement, Genex said the fire was allowed to burn out under the supervision of QFES, with no water required to be used on the fire itself, according to the fire service’s advice and established protocols.

The company also stated that no other storage modules were affected, and the facility had been disconnected from the grid.

Toxic Smoke Warning

The QFES also issued a smoke warning for residents living near the facility at 8 a.m. on Sept. 27.

“The fire was contained. There was low-lying smoke expected to persist at the time for a few hours,” the spokesperson said.

“Nearby residents are advised to keep doors and windows closed, and those suffering from a respiratory condition should keep their medications close by.”

According to the University of New South Wales, lithium-ion battery fires are extremely hard to extinguish.

They can reignite hours–or even days after being put out and release highly toxic gases.

After the fire was contained, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Fitzroy Zone Commander John Platt said officers were monitoring gas levels in the area and found that there was no health hazard.

A Fluence Cube stands adjacent to the AES Alamitos Battery Energy Storage System in Long Beach, California, on Sept. 16, 2022. Patrick T Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

“There is no worry for members of the public in terms of that toxic gas issue,” he said, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Bouldercombe facility has a capacity of 50 megawatts and the ability to store 100 megawatts of energy.

It is comprised of a total of 40 Tesla Megapack 2.0 batteries and has the potential to power more than 4,000 homes annually.

The facility was energised in July. At the time, Queensland Labor MP Barry O'Rourke touted the project as “a monumental shift in Central Queensland’s energy profile.”

“This battery acts as a super solar soaker, taking exports from rooftop solar and the region’s future renewable energy projects to drive down power prices in the evenings,” he said.

“By basing this battery here just outside Gracemere, which is in the top 50 solar postcodes in Queensland, means renewable energy can be generated, stored and used locally to help bring down power bills.”

Federal Senator Casts Doubt on the Safety of Battery Storage

Following the incident, federal Senator Matt Canavan took online to express his scepticism about the stability of Queensland’s new energy grid.

“A Tesla battery is on fire near Rockhampton, and crews have been told not to put it out,” he wrote in a social media post.

“Our new energy grid is worse than our old energy grid.”

The senator was also concerned about the health impact of the fire on the local community.

“These battery fires sound concerning. What are in these gases?” he wrote.

In response, Energy Minister Chris Bowen alleged that the Liberal National Party, of which Mr. Canavan is a member, would find any excuse to demonise renewables.

“A gas bottle caught on fire at a service station in my electorate last week. It set off a series of explosions and a major fire,” he wrote on X (formally known as Twitter).

“I don’t remember you drawing a conclusion about energy safety from that.”

According to data from the QFES, there have been 98 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in Queensland between January and Sept. 26, 2023, compared to 108 in 2022.

Residential structure fires accounted for half of the incidents (49), while ten were non-residential structure fires, and the remaining belonged to other categories.

The Bouldercombe incident comes after a fire caused by lithium battery ignition destroyed five cars in a car park near Sydney Airport on Sept. 11.

Investigators concluded that a battery from a luxury car ignited itself and started the blaze after it had been removed from the car.

However, it was unclear why the car owner removed the battery and stored it in the car park.