Groundbreaking Large-Scale Battery Study Could Save Lives

CARLSBAD, NM, October 27, 2026 ─ The United States Department of Energy (DOE), Carlsbad Field Office along with its Management and Operating Contractor, Salado Isolation Mining Contractors entered into an Inter-Agency Agreement with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Mine Research Division (PMRD). This agreement will enable the transfer of three large platform Lithium-Ion batteries from DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, outside of Carlsbad, NM - the United States’ only deep geologic repository for the permanent disposal of defense-related Transuranic waste.

Through the agreement, NIOSH PMRD was able to obtain the Lithium-Ion batteries to undertake unprecedented, landmark research in large-scale battery fire dynamics. Previous research has been limited to testing medium-sized battery packs where the results were then used to estimate the performance and fire risk of larger batteries. While that research provided valuable information, the true nature of large-scale battery fires remains difficult to predict and understand. In a first-of-its-kind study, NIOSH PMRD will develop real-world knowledge of the nature and risks of large-scale battery fires.

In addition, this research is vitally important to advance the safety of underground facilities including mines, tunnels, repositories and research facilities (including those under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Energy) where heavy duty battery electric vehicles are being used and becoming common. The findings could also support the development of targeted emergency evacuation, response protocols and occupational safety and health related to underground spaces.