Data centre fire sparks calls for improved battery safety
A data centre fire in South Korea has renewed attention on global battery safety and the need for stronger fire prevention measures.
According to IDTechEx, the incident occurred on Friday 26 September in Daejeon, around 85 miles from Seoul.
The fire began after a suspected battery explosion triggered a thermal runaway event involving almost two hundred lithium-ion battery packs.
The blaze disrupted hundreds of online government services and has been described as one of the most severe of its kind in the country.
IDTechEx said the incident demonstrates that, although the rate of battery fires per gigawatt-hour deployed has fallen, the overall number remains high due to global growth in battery installations.
The company added that while regulations have improved since 2020, further work is needed to make large-scale lithium-ion systems safer.
Thermal runaway risks in lithium-ion batteries
IDTechEx explained that thermal runaway occurs when exothermic reactions inside a battery cause further heat-producing reactions, increasing the likelihood of combustion.
The process can move rapidly between battery cells and spread from one pack to another within minutes.
The firm noted that in large installations such as data centres, this can result in severe damage, financial loss and disruption to essential services.
In South Korea alone, the National Fire Agency reported 296 battery fire incidents during the first half of 2025, leading to 23 casualties and property damage of 22.4 billion KRW.
The agency recorded 543 battery fire incidents across the whole of 2024 and 359 in 2023, showing a continued upward trend.
IDTechEx linked this rise to increasing use of batteries in electric vehicles and stationary storage systems.
One of the country’s most serious incidents occurred in June 2024 at a factory owned by battery manufacturer Aricell, where 23 workers died following a fire caused by a battery fault.
Data centre demand increases global safety pressure
IDTechEx said growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud services is driving the expansion of global data centres and their energy requirements.
The company estimated that data centres will use around 75 gigawatts of electricity in 2025, with demand expected to more than triple within ten years.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are being increasingly used in these facilities to provide renewable power, stabilise grid peaks and replace diesel generators.
IDTechEx said this trend is increasing the urgency for stronger safety rules, particularly in areas such as thermal management and runaway prevention.
The firm compared current regulatory frameworks, noting that the United States applies Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards within National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes, while Europe relies on self-declared CE marking.
It said China is taking steps to improve electric vehicle battery safety with regulation GB 38031-2025, the first in the world to require “no fire, no explosion” standards, which will come into force in July 2026.
However, IDTechEx noted that similar global regulation does not yet exist for BESS safety, leaving many regions without unified standards.
Safety improvements and future technologies
IDTechEx identified several ways to improve battery safety in data centre environments.
The first is enhanced thermal management, which includes both active technologies such as liquid cooling and passive fire protection using ceramic, mica and foam materials.
The second is improved diagnostics and monitoring, combining gas, pressure and humidity sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to detect faults before overheating occurs.
The third is the use of alternative storage technologies such as redox flow batteries or solid-state batteries, which use non-flammable or solid electrolytes and may present lower fire risks.
According to IDTechEx, large-scale adoption of these technologies depends on supportive regulation and global standards that enable consistent testing and deployment.
The firm said that while lithium-ion batteries are not inherently safe, their risks can be reduced through better system design and management.
It concluded that progress will depend on transparent reporting of failure causes and industry-wide cooperation on safety standards.
Relevance for fire and safety professionals
This development is particularly relevant for data centre facility managers, electrical engineers, and those involved in energy storage design, regulation and inspection.
The Daejeon incident highlights the hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries in large installations and the operational risks of thermal runaway.
For fire safety officers and risk assessors, the case reinforces the need for robust suppression systems, battery room segregation, and reliable early warning sensors in sites using battery energy storage systems.
Professionals involved in system specification and procurement may also need to consider alternative battery chemistries, improved cooling methods and third-party certification standards as key safety criteria in future installations.
The issue is likely to remain a focus as global data centre and renewable energy capacity expand in parallel.
This article was informed by information from the following source: IDTechEx