BESS Failure Incident Database

About EPRI's Battery Energy Storage System Failure Incident Database

The database compiles information about stationary battery energy storage system (BESS) failure incidents. There are two tables in this database:

• Stationary Energy Storage Failure Incidents – this table tracks utility-scale and commercial and industrial (C&I) failures.
• Other Storage Failure Incidents – this table tracks incidents that do not fit the criteria for the first table. This could include failures involving the manufacturing, transportation, storage, and recycling of energy storage.

Residential energy storage system failures are not currently tracked.

If you would like to be notified when a new event is added to this database or are interested in other EPRI energy storage safety research resources and opportunities please reach out to Storage-Safety@epri.com. For more information on energy storage safety, visit the Storage Safety Wiki Page.

About the BESS Failure Incident Database

The BESS Failure Incident Database was initiated in 2021 as part of a wider suite of BESS safety research after the concentration of lithium ion BESS fires in South Korea and the Surprise, AZ, incident in the US. The database was created to inform energy storage industry stakeholders and the public on BESS failures.

Tracking information about systems that have experienced an incident, including age, manufacturer, chemistry, and application, could inform R&D actions taken by the industry to improve storage safety. The focus of the database is on incidents that had a wider public health and safety impact, rather than on operational failures. Some helpful definitions follow:

• BESS: A stationary energy storage system using battery technology. The focus of the database is on lithium ion technologies, but other battery technology failure incidents are included.
• Failure incident: An occurrence caused by a BESS system or component failure which resulted in increased safety risk. For lithium ion BESS, this is typically a thermal risk such as fire or explosion.
• Utility-scale: This refers to systems and projects that are interconnected to the grid.
• C&I: This includes systems and projects that are behind-the-meter installations. Residential system failures are not currently tracked. Note that the Stationary Energy Storage Failure Incidents table tracks both utility-scale and C&I system failures.

The Data in Context

It is instructive to compare the number of failure incidents over time against the deployment of BESS. The graph shows the failure rate per cumulative deployed capacity, up to 12/31/2025. This graph includes 33 non-public incidents that EPRI is aware of. These incidents are not included in the database itself, but they are reflected in the graph above. The global installed capacity of utility-scale BESS has dramatically increased over the last five years, and while failure incidents continue to occur, the overall rate of incidents has sharply decreased. The failure rate dropped by 99% from 2018 to 2025 as lessons learned from early failures have been incorporated into the latest designs and best practices.

The battery industry continues to engage in R&D activities to improve risk reduction measures.

Root Cause Categorization

The database includes the cause of failure for each incident, where available. EPRI, TWAICE, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) collaborated on an effort to classify the root cause of each incident in the database. The team used the best available information to categorize root cause (e.g., design; manufacturing; integration, assembly & construction; operation; or combination thereof) and the physical location of failure (e.g., cell/module, controls, balance-of-system equipment) to broadly classify the incidents for later comparison and contrast. These are based on technical details in the publicly available reporting, personal communications with entities involved and engineering judgement by industry experts. The published report Insights from EPRI’s Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Failure Incident Database: Analysis of Failure Root Cause contains the methodology and results of this root cause analysis.

Database Methodology

The information in this database is gathered from media reports and other public documents, such as released root cause analyses (RCA) or corporate press releases. Source documents are identified by active searching of global English-language media, and passive collection of reports through keyword flagging on internet websites and RSS feeds. Crowdsourced information that can be verified through publicly available documentation is also incorporated.

All linked citations have been downloaded (or subsequently re-located on InternetArchive or WayBackMachine after removal), to preserve the available information from each incident.

The database was begun in 2021, though it includes incidents as far back as 2011. EPRI engages in every effort to ensure that the information in the database is complete and accurate. Outside of online media, EPRI has used academic publications and collaborated with other organizations tracking failures to ensure all known incidents are captured. However, many incidents are not reported in news media, especially before 2018-19 when there was a renewed industry focus on safety. EPRI cannot guarantee that the database captures every relevant BESS failure incident, nor can we guarantee that all project data related to an incident is captured. If you are aware of missing data, please contact our Storage-Safety@epri.com.

Once an incident is identified, EPRI reaches out to involved parties for interviews whenever possible, and then links to formal reports released by any investigative entities once they are published. EPRI is also occasionally involved in RCAs or technical evaluations of incidents directly. For example, EPRI provided technical support for the investigation of the Carnegie Road, UK incident in 2020, and published a report on the findings.

The included incidents are intended to reflect global activity. However, the database is necessarily limited to public reporting and may have missed incidents with minimal or local-only media coverage. Our automated alerts may not capture local language sources, which is why we engage in outreach and publicizing of the database. EPRI has reports from several recent incidents in Taiwan and South Korea that use local language sources and have paid to get translations where applicable. Substantial time has been spent to make sure incident information is accurate, and EPRI continues to corroborate incidents using other sources and update incidents (both new and old) regularly.

Database Citation

You are welcome and encouraged to use this database and cite it; the preferred format is below:

EPRI BESS Failure Incident Database. Accessed MM/DD/YYYY. https://storagewiki.epri.com/index.php/BESS_Failure_Incident_Database.

If the database is the centerpiece of an analysis, we request that you reach out to EPRI at Storage-Safety@epri.com for review of the data application. We have a wealth of information on many BESS safety topics that can bolster your study and provide needed context. We are also tracking applications of the database to solicit continued EPRI support for maintenance. If you find this useful, please let us know!

Stationary Energy Storage Failure Incidents

The database is under maintenance and will be temporarily unavailable. Please reach out to EPRI if you require urgent access to the data.

Other Energy Storage Failure Incidents

This table tracks other energy storage failure incidents for scenarios that do not fit the criteria of the table above. This could include energy storage failures in settings like electric transportation, recycling, manufacturing, etc.

Note: Missing values in this table reflect unknowns.

Location	Setting	Capacity (MWh)	Capacity (MW)	Operator / Integrator	Event Date	System Age (yr)	State During Accident	Description	Source
Ireland, Claregalway	Battery manufacturer			Xerotech	29 January 2025		Stored in container	Fire started in a shipping container used to store battery modules at Xerotech battery facility. Damaged batteries were isolated to prevent spread to other parts of facility. Crews have been using water to moderate overheating. Water is being recirculated to prevent runoff contamination.	Connacht Tribune
US, MO, Fredericktown	Battery recycling plant			Critical Mineral Recovery	30 October 2024			A fire and explosion occured at a lithium ion battery recycling plant. Residents north and west of Fredericktown were told to evacuate if they could smell smoke. The evacuation order was revised within a couple hours to cover only residents (approx. 25 homes) living on the same road as the recycling plant. Other residents were asked to shelter in-place. The fire was controlled after 3 days and hot spots requiring fire suppression remained 8 days later. The EPA conducted air monitoring and found that concentrations of contaminants remained below thresholds. 2 days after the fire broke out, a 3 mile fish kill was discovered in Little St. Francis River. Firefighting foam is hypothesized to be the cause. Drinking water was not affected.	Missouri Independent
US, CA, San Pedro	On road during transport				26 September 2024		In transit	A truck hauling 60,000 lbs of lithium ion batteries overturned and resulted in a deflagration and a fire. The freeway and bridge were shut down along with 6 port terminals. Firefighters utilized a defensive firefighting strategy to monitor and contain the fire. After 24 hours, the smoldering container was moved off the road to an open lot for monitoring, and the roads were re-opened after hazardous materials were cleared.	LB Post
Canada, Montreal	Temporary storage at a port				23 September 2024			A container storing 15,000 lbs of lithium ion batteries on land caught fire at the Port of Montreal. Firefighters sprayed the container with water to cool it without opening the container. The City of Montreal ordered a lockdown for nearby residents due to concerns about the smoke.	CTV News
US, NV, Nye County	On highway during transport				17 September 2024		In tranit	A semi-truck hauling lithium ion batteries sideswiped another semi-truck headed in the opposite direction, shortly after midnight on I-95. The resulting fire was extinguished and the road cleared by a HAZMAT crew. The road was reopened approximately 18h after the crash was reported.	Review Journal
Germany, Thuringia	Temporary storage			Suncycle	11 August 2024		Temporarily stored onsite; not interconnected	A group of batteries that was intended for disposal and was being temporarily stored at the site caught fire. An employee used a forklift to move the burning storage unit to prevent propagation, and was suffered minor injuries due to the fumes and smoke. This incident is the third in a series of incidents at the Suncycle site.	PV Magazine
US, South Carolina, Seneca	Manufacturing			BorgWarner	8 August 2024		Battery on assembly line	A lithium ion battery caught fire on the assembly line at a manufacturing facility. The fire department got the fire under control after 2.5 hours.	WSPA
US, CA, Baker	On highway during transport				26 July 2024		In transit	A truck hauling lithium ion batteries was involved in a crash, overturning the truck and resulting in a fire. The I-15 freeway, a major artery between South California and Las Vegas, was shut down for two days. Several drivers stuck in the resulting traffic and high temperatures of the day experienced heat-related medical issues.	CBS
Germany, Thuringia				Suncycle	30 June 2024			This incident is the second in a series of incidents at the Suncycle site. The fire department used a controlled burn approach to avoid costly disposal of contaminated firewater. The fire was extinguished after 12 hours. Nearby residents were advised to keep windows closed due to smoke.	MDR.DE
South Korea, Hwaseong	Manufacturing			Aricell	24 June 2024			A single battery cell in the factory caught fire and spread to the 35,000 battery cells stored on the factory's second floor, producing a series of explosions. 22 workers were killed and 8 were injured in the fire.	New York Times
Germany, Thuringia				Suncycle	7 June 2024			A battery caught fire at an engineering and test center. Firefighters used a grappling hook to open the container’s doors, cool the batteries with water, and extinguished the fire after 4 hours. The affected container was pulled away from the other battery containers with a tractor to prevent the flames from spreading. The contaminated firewater was disposed of. This incident is the first of a series of incidents at the Suncycle site.	PV Magazine
Germany, Neermoor	Temporary storage			Intilion	27 April 2024		Temporarily stored onsite; not interconnected	One of several lithium-ion containers located in an industrial area was observed to be smoking. The containers were not interconnected to the grid. The fire department consulted with the operator and opened the container, resulting in an explosion. Two firefighters were injured. The container was cooled and moved away from the surrounding containers with a crane to prevent propagation. The fire was extinguished in 10 hours. A highway was closed overnight for 6 hours and residents were asked to keep doors and windows closed due to the heavy smoke.	Neermoor Fire Brigade
US, Ohio, Columbus					18 April 2024			A tractor trailer with 5900 lbs of lithium ion batteries caught fire. A bomb squad used a robot to cut a hole in the trailer during firefighting to reduce the risk of explosion. The evacuation order was lifted after three hours.	Firehouse
Scotland, Kilwinning	Recycling				8 April 2024			A fire broke out at the Fenix battery recycling plant. The cause of fire is under investigation.	BBC
Australia, Maryborough	On highway during transport				22 March 2024		In transit	A semi-trailer truck carrying lithium ion batteries was involved in a multi-vehicle highway crash, resulting in a fire. The level of contribution from the batteries to the fire is unknown.	ABC News
France, Viviez	Recycling			SNAM	17 February 2024		Storage	A fire broke out in a warehouse owned by battery recycling group SNAM. The warehouse stored 900 metric tons of lithium ion batteries. The cause of the fire is unknown.	Reuters
US, AK, Dutch Harbor	Maritime				29 December 2023		In transit	The ship was transporting lithium-ion batteries from Vietnam to San Diego. The fire began in a hold, which was pumped with carbon dioxide and sealed. The cause of the fire is unknown.	AP News
Germany, Wurzburg	Underground Parking Garage				5 November 2023			A metal lattice box filled with batteries released smoke into the underground parking garage. Fire fighters extinguished the fire in three hours and used a high pressure fan to clear the smoke.	Fireworld
Netherlands, Ameland	Maritime			Multiple	26 July 2023		Storage	A cargo ship fire burned for over a week. The crew was evacuated, after 1 death, and the ship was monitored for potential capsizing that could have damaged the nearby UNESCO World Heritage - listed wildlife habitat. The ship was carrying over 3700 new vehicles, with ~500 reported to be EVs. The cause of the fire is unknown.	AP
France, Rouen	Warehouse				16 January 2023		Storage	A fire spread through a warehouse containing thousands of lithium ion batteries.	the deep dive
US, CA, Baker	Electric Vehicle Charging Station			Tesla	1 January 2023		Operational	This Megapack on a trailersystem is used to boost charging infrastructure at busy supercharger stations during peak times.	Electrek
Germany, Kaufbeuren	Battery test laboratory				3 November 2022		Testing	A battery exploded while undertest at an Intertek battery testing facility.	Allgau Newspaper
US, CA, Palo Alto	EV Dealership			Tesla	7 August 2022		Storage	Failure within a stack of uninstalled EV batteries led to thermal runaway and damage to all batteries and some nearby property.	Palo Alto Fire Dept.
Netherlands, Amsterdam	Maritime	0.7		EST-Floattech	25 July 2022	1	In transit / operation	Battery fire on Diesel-Electric hybrid river boat	The Maritime Executive
US, WI, Milwaukee	Hospital parking garage				21 June 2022		recycling bin	Container holding recycled batteries exploded in parking garage	WISN
Sweden, Karlskoga	Warehouse				10 April 2022			A fire outside of a warehouse where a large number of batteries were being stored.	SVT Nyheter
South Korea, North Chungcheong, Cheongju	Manufacturing			EcoPro BM	21 January 2022		Operational Manufacturing Facility		Korea JoongAng Daily
China, Wuhan	On highway during transport				12 January 2022		during transportation		Jimu News
US, IL, Morris	Warehouse			Superior Battery Inc.	2 July 2021				ABC
US, NM, Albuquerque	Recycling			Friedman Recycling	16 March 2021				KOB
Norway, Oslo Fjord	Maritime	0.8		Corvus Energy	11 March 2021	2			Corvus Energy
China, Yunnan, Qujing	Manufacturing			CATL	27 January 2021				ESP
China, Hunan	Recycling			CATL, Brunp Recycling	7 January 2021				ESP
Norway, Sydnes	Maritime	2		Corvus Energy	10 October 2019	0.5			CFPA Europe
US, OR, Powin	New product testing			Powin HQ	11 April 2019				The Oregonian

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