Participants at the ASEAN Battery Safety & Innovation Conference in Singapore.
On April 25, 2025, UL Standards & Engagement, The Singapore Battery Consortium, The Agency for Science Technology and Research Singapore, and The Home Team Science & Technology Agency hosted the ASEAN Battery Safety & Innovation Conference. The conference brought together over 200 stakeholders, researchers, and regulators from throughout southeast Asia to discuss the latest advancements and issues in battery safety and energy storage.
This event was part of the first meeting of the ASEAN Battery Safety Network, an initiative which promotes regional cooperation in battery safety standards and regulation among government agencies focused on science and technology. Although ULSE is not a formal member of the Network, local staff helped guide its establishment.
On the sidelines of the conference, ULSE convened a half-day meeting of fire departments from 6 ASEAN countries. Among these was the Singapore Civil Defence Force, led by LTC Lim Lam Kwang, Senior Assistant Director Fire Safety and LTC Lee Peng Yang, Senior Assistant Director, Operations, along with delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
The meeting was held to discuss best practices for firefighting responses to incidents involving large concentrations of lithium-ion batteries, such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Because of the unique challenges involved in fighting these fires, the issue is a high priority for the fire departments. Part of the discussion centered on how the adoption of codes and standards – such as NFPA 855, Installation of Stationary ESS, UL 9540A, Standard for Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems, and UL 1487, Battery Containment Enclosures – can support technical regulations to address the hazards and risks.
In Singapore, SCDF recently led a revision of the national fire code to enhance safety requirements for ESS. Among these was referencing UL 9540A for underground ESS installations. The ULSE meeting fostered both information sharing and the strengthening of cross-border relations amongst the region’s fire service.
