Announcement of ESS Fire 3rd Investigation Results... LG "Measures Completed" Samsung "Clear Cause Not Identified" (Comprehensive)

Suspected Internal Battery Issue... Cause Not Specified
LG "Process Improvement" Samsung "Cause Investigation Ongoing"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] LG Energy Solution has expressed agreement with the third investigation results announced by the Energy Storage System (ESS) fire cause investigation team. This is because they conducted voluntary replacements (recalls) regarding the pointed issues. Samsung SDI, criticized for excessive charging rates, stated that since no fire occurred during demonstration experiments under the same conditions, the exact cause of the fire has not been identified.

According to the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation on the 2nd, the third investigation team, composed of public and private experts, examined four ESS sites where fire incidents occurred since 2020: Haenam (Samsung), Eumseong, Yeongcheon, and Hongcheon (LG). They concluded that all fires were presumed to have been caused by internal abnormalities in the batteries (secondary cells). However, they did not specify a clear cause such as manufacturer negligence.

The investigation team confirmed through operation records and closed-circuit television (CCTV) analysis that the ignition points at Haenam, Eumseong, and Yeongcheon were the batteries. At the Hongcheon site, operation records showed a sharp voltage drop and temperature rise following minor cell voltage fluctuations. In the Haenam ESS operation records, the recommended charging rate standards were not followed, and fire experiments involving internal battery heating showed operation records similar to the fire incident. However, charging and discharging experiments conducted at adjacent sites did not result in fires.

In this regard, LG Energy Solution stated that they agree with the results. Previously, in May last year, LG Energy Solution voluntarily replaced products produced on the ESS dedicated line from April 2017 to September 2018 due to electrode coating abnormalities. All batteries supplied to the investigated sites were included in the replacement scope. After LG Energy Solution improved the electrode coating process, the investigation team conducted separate experiments and verified battery safety by confirming that "no battery failures including fires occurred, and no electrode coating abnormalities were found in disassembly analysis." LG Energy Solution said, "We have already improved the electrode coating process identified as the ignition factor through proactive internal investigations and analyses," and added, "We plan to continuously strengthen product quality competitiveness and strive for the development of the ESS industry ecosystem."

Samsung SDI stated that "a clear cause of the fire has not been proven." Samsung SDI explained that ▲ although the recommended charging rate standards were not followed, the difference was only 5%, so there is no direct correlation, ▲ firefighting activities may have rather interfered with the proper operation of the fire suppression system, and ▲ the fire suppression system's normal operation and effectiveness were confirmed in forced ignition experiments, indicating the reliability of the suppression equipment. Although low-voltage cells occurred, yellowing and browning can happen as natural degradation phenomena from battery use, and while copper current collector melting was observed inside the cells, it was described as a phenomenon rather than the cause of the fire. A Samsung SDI official said, "Samsung also participated in the investigation team's demonstration, and since the fire was not reproduced during the experiment, no facts were found indicating that the battery was the cause of the fire."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.