U.S.-based Fluence, Japan's JERA and Australian Lyon Group announced on Tuesday a collaboration agreement on battery storage opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region including Japan, and on delivering energy storage for Australian solar projects.
'The parties will assess utilization of utility and industrial scale battery storage solutions in new projects and at existing renewable and thermal generation plants across their collective operational footprints,' read a press release from Lyon.
'On projects to which the parties commit, Lyon will be the project developer, JERA an investor, and Fluence the energy storage solution and service provider,' it said.
In the near term, the companies will focus on implementing a portfolio of solar and four-hour duration energy storage projects in Australia's National Electricity Market: at Cape York in Queensland, Riverland in South Australia, and Nowingi in Victoria, according to a separate statement from Fluence.
The three are Lyon's tranche 1 integrated solar and storage projects, with Cape York coming with a solar PV capacity of 55 megawatts (MW) and 20 MW/80 megawatts per hour (MWh) of battery storage; Nowingi with a solar capacity of 253 MW plus 320MW/320MWh of battery storage; and Riverland with up to 330MW of solar capacity including stage 2, and 100MW/400MWh of battery storage, Lyon said.
'This collaboration agreement is based on a shared understanding that the world requires low emissions energy systems that are also secure, reliable and affordable. Utility-scale battery storage solutions across new and existing generation plants will be a key enabler,' Lyon Chairman David Green said.
'Lyon’s tranche 1 projects will include four-hour Fluence battery storage systems and are scheduled to commence construction in the coming months,' he added.
Jan Teichmann, VP of Global Markets for Fluence, said Australia was working to solve difficult 'grid-in-transition' issues at scale as they usher in the next generation electricity network that is cleaner, lower cost, and more reliable.
'More efficient electricity networks, more low-cost clean energy, and the highest reliability for consumers -- these are the benefits we will be working to deliver with JERA across its operating fleet and through its and Lyon's projects in Australia,' Teichmann added.
Lyon is a leading independent developer of integrated utility-scale battery storage and renewable generation projects. The Sydney-based company developed and sold Australia’s first grid connected large-scale solar PV and battery storage project, and is now leading the rollout of the region’s largest pipeline of large-scale solar PV and battery storage projects, with advanced projects under development in Australia and early stage development projects in Asia.
Fluence, a Siemens and AES joint venture, is a global energy storage technology solutions and services company, whose teams have to date deployed or been awarded over 500 MW of energy storage projects in 16 countries.
JERA, an equal joint venture of two major Japanese electric companies, TEPCO Fuel & Power Inc. and Chubu Electric Power Co., is an energy company 'with global reach that has strength in the entire energy supply chain, from participation in LNG and other fuel resource projects and fuel procurement, through fuel transportation to power generation'.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr