Renewable Energy Fire Safety

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CFA supports planning authorities, designers, and operators of renewable energy facilities by providing guidance on bushfire risk, fire safety and emergency planning.

Guidelines and Model Requirements for Renewable Energy Facilities, v4 2023 (PDF 15.2MB)

CFA Design Guidelines and Model Requirements for Renewable Energy Facilities (v4, 2023)

For large-scale renewable energy facilities, CFA has developed the Design Guidelines and Model Requirements for Renewable Energy Facilities (PDF 15.2MB).

This guideline contains CFA's expectations for the planning, design and operation of renewable energy facilities to ensure bushfire risk and safety measures are considered. This includes solar facilities, wind facilities, and facilities with large-scale battery energy storage system. This guideline is regularly updated.

Recent Updates

  • June 2025 (v4.4): Updated fire safety study (p. 13) and community battery (p. 48) content to refer to new guidelines.
  • January 2025 (v4.3): Minor wording update to clarify requirements for fire water supplies at micro solar facilities (p. 20).
  • July 2024: Fire water storage tanks. AS 2419.1-2021 requires steel fire water tanks used as either full-capacity tanks, reduced-capacity tanks or break tanks, to conform with AS 2304. CFA advises that for renewable energy facilities, for fire water tanks of a capacity at or below 45,000L, not connected to a hydrant system, CFA will accept fire water tank construction in accordance with AS 2419.1-2005.

250605 - Cover - Community BESS Guideline (PDF 2.1MB)

CFA Community and Neighbourhood Battery Guidelines (v1.3, June 2025)

For community and neighbourhood scale batteries, CFA has developed the Community and Neighbourhood Battery Energy Storage System Guideline (PDF 2.1MB).

This guideline contains fire risk management and safety considerations for the siting, installation, management, monitoring, marking and maintenance of community batteries.

Project proponents should contact CFA’s Specialist Risk and Fire Safety Unit as early as possible during project planning and design to ensure that fire risk is effectively considered and managed.

250605 - Cover - FSS for BESS Guideline (PDF 3.3MB)

CFA Fire Safety Studies for Battery Energy Storage Systems Guidelines (v1, June 2025)

To support assessment of the required fire safety measures for battery projects, CFA has developed the Fire Safety Studies for Battery Energy Storage Systems (PDF 3.3MB) guideline.

CFA may request the preparation of a fire safety study for large-scale battery energy storage systems where the design, capacity, complexity, location or proposed operations necessitate an enhanced, detailed analysis of requirements for fire and explosion safety systems.

Fighting fires at renewable energy facilities.

CFA is also working with its members across Victoria on how to safely fight fires at renewable energy facilities. Below is a video of the Glenrowan, Winton and Wangaratta North Brigades going through the steps of how to fight a fire on the Glenrowan West Solar Farm.

CFA has been working on new Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on fighting fires at renewable energy facilities. Some are still being developed and others are out for consultation. These provide advice to CFA members about how to safely assess and suppress fires at renewable energy facilities.

 
 
 

When should consultation with CFA occur?

While CFA’s guidelines provide general guidance, the design team should consult with CFA’s Specialist Risk and Fire Safety Unit early in the planning and facility design phase, well before the finalisation of planning applications and facility design. Consultation with CFA's Specialist Risk and Fire Safety Unit is encouraged at all stages of a project's life cycle.

What information does CFA need for initial consultation?

The availability of the following information (where possible) during initial consultation supports the provision of specific advice for facility planning and design.

  • The site address/land parcel information (such as a current VicPlan Property Planning Report).
  • Locality plan, showing the facility within the landscape and proximity to the Bushfire Management Overlay (if applicable).
  • Details of the facility, its type and size (such as the area and perimeter, potential vehicle access points, indicative number of solar panels/arrays, wind turbines, battery capacity/containers, power conversion equipment/units).
  • Site layout plans, showing the proposed location of site vehicle access points, internal roads, solar arrays/wind turbines/battery containers, fire water supplies, grid connection points/substations, buildings and vegetation (where available).
  • Specifications/technical data sheets on battery energy storage systems (where applicable and available).

EPRI BESS Failure Event Database
Moss Landing, California - 16 January 2025
San Diego, California - 15 May 2024
Bouldercombe, Queensland - 26 September 2023
Warwick, New York - 26 June 2023
Moss Landing, California - 20/21 September 2022
Chandler, Arizona - 18 April 2022
Monterey County, California - 4 September 2021
Moorabool, Victoria - 30 July 2021
Beijing, China - 16 April 2021
Liverpool, UK - 15 September 2020
Surprise, Arizona - 19 April 2019
Drogenbos, Belgium - 11 November 2017

CFA volunteers are experienced in fighting fires near Victoria’s 6,500 km of transmission lines. With safety as a priority, standard procedures guide operations around high-voltage lines and pylons. Alternatives to water, such as using heavy machinery to clear vegetation, help protect critical infrastructure, while firefighting aircraft can also operate near transmission lines when needed.

Although CFA does not approve new infrastructure or transmission line locations, we provide essential safety advice to authorities and remain focused on safeguarding communities and our members.

Find out more on Fighting fires around transmission lines.

CFA Guidelines for the Provision of Emergency Information (2019)

CFA recommends the provision of Emergency Information Books (PDF 1.9MB) for the use of emergency responders at all renewable energy facilities. Emergency Information Books contain key information for emergency responders arriving on-site during emergencies.

 

 

Page last updated:  Thursday, 5 June 2025 2:50:51 PM

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