Hazelwood battery energy storage system Japan

What is Hazelwood battery storage?

Hazelwood, a battery storage system in Australia jointly developed by Eku with ENGIE, using BESS equipment supplied and integrated by Fluence. Image: Eku Energy Battery storage developer Eku Energy has partnered with utility Tokyo Gas on a grid-scale energy storage project in Japan, with construction expected to start soon.

What is Hazelwood?

Jointly developed by ENGIE and Eku Energy, Hazelwood is the first retired coal-fired power station to host a battery storage system in Australia, representing a key moment in repurposing thermal assets for renewable energy technologies.

What technology does Hazelwood battery use?

Hazelwood Battery will use Fluence Energy’s latest-generation Gridstack product, incorporating 342 modular, standardised factory-built Fluence Cubes and integrated edge controls software. The project is funded by ENGIE and Macquarie Group’s Green Investment Group, and will be built, operated, and maintained over a 20-year period by Fluence.

How many battery energy storage projects have won a bid?

Over a gigawatt of bids from battery storage project developers have been successful in the first-ever competitive auctions for low-carbon energy capacity held in Japan. A total 1.67GW of projects won contracts, including 32 battery energy storage system (BESS) totalling 1.1GW and three pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) projects totalling 577MW.

Does Japan have a grid-scale battery storage market?

Japan’s grid-scale battery storage market has been relatively slow to take off, with relatively limited revenue opportunities that focus largely on ancillary services, with some capability of earning money through the JEPX power exchange spot market. There are also some subsidy schemes in place.

Will Sumitomo invest $1.3 billion in battery energy storage systems?

Another of the country’s major trading houses, Sumitomo Corporation, is reportedly looking to invest around US$1.3 billion in a portfolio of battery energy storage system (BESS) assets around wind and solar PV plants, according to a report from Japanese news outlet Nikkei Asia today.