PRBA Begins Work on NFPA and International Fire Code Battery Storage Proposals

The Fire Code Committee at PRBA – The Rechargeable Battery Association recently convened to start working on new battery storage proposals that could be incorporated into Chapter 14 of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855 standard and the International Fire Code (IFC).

While the primary concern among fire code officials is the storage of lithium ion batteries, the efforts now underway to develop new provisions for the IFC will likely impact all battery chemistries.

Chapter 14 of NFPA 855 (Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems) currently addresses the storage of used and off-specification batteries. However, the NFPAA 855 task group responsible for drafting changes to Chapter 14 is considering whether to expand its scope to cover new batteries. The work developed by this task group will serve as the basis for amending the IFC, which currently does not include specific provisions on battery storage.

Changes to Chapter 14 in NFPA 855 and the IFC will have very significant impacts on PRBA members and a broad range of industries. These include, but are not limited to, battery manufacturers and recyclers, retailers, electric vehicle manufacturers and repair facilities, testing labs, and battery distributors.