Prevent, test, improve: safety is built before an incident occurs.

On the afternoon of Thursday 28 May, a full-scale fire drill was held at the Giurone solar power plant with energy storage, in close collaboration with the Haute-Corse Fire and Rescue Service (SIS 2B).

The aim of this exercise was to test all the measures put in place in the event of an incident: emergency procedures, team organisation, information reporting, coordination between the various parties involved, strategic response decisions, and the availability of water resources and technical equipment that can be deployed.

The fire service also deployed a drone equipped with a thermal camera to carry out aerial thermography. This tool enables the remote visualisation of areas with abnormal temperature rises, the rapid identification of hotspots, and the monitoring of their development in real time.

During an operation involving a battery storage system, this observation capability provides invaluable support for decision-making, whilst limiting the exposure of emergency personnel to potentially hazardous areas. The exercise thus provided an opportunity to test the integration of these technological resources into the overall coordination of rescue operations.

Beyond the operational aspect, this type of exercise is essential for analysing behaviour, verifying the effectiveness of procedures, improving warning messages and monitoring interfaces, identifying potential bottlenecks, and adapting our contingency plans.

At Corsica Sole, we work daily on health, safety and fire risk management issues. Because there is no such thing as zero risk, our responsibility is to anticipate it, minimise it as much as possible and prepare collectively to deal with it.

This exercise required several weeks of preparation involving Corsica Sole teams, the emergency services and the technical partners involved in the site’s operations.

We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the Haute-Corse Fire Service for their dedication, professionalism and the quality of their engagement throughout this exercise.
We would also like to thank the teams at Tesla, the supplier of the Giurone storage system, for their participation and support during this exercise.

A big thank you also goes to the Corsica Sole teams on the ground, and to the operations, maintenance and HSE teams who helped prepare and run this exercise. Their involvement helps to strengthen the safety of our facilities, improve our practices and foster a genuine culture of prevention within the company every single day.

The energy transition relies not only on high-performance infrastructure, but also on rigorous risk preparedness. These exercises are essential for making collective progress, strengthening cooperation among all stakeholders involved, and ensuring a high level of safety for our employees, our partners, and the communities hosting our facilities.