240MW LITHIUM-ION BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM FOR FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN, WILL BE AI-CONTROLLED

urīn Energy has announced TotalEnergies subsidiary Saft as its partner for its battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Fukushima, Japan.  In a joint statement, the companies said Saft will supply a fully integrated lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system with a total of over 1 gigawatt-hour of storage, together with power conversion and power management systems from its partners. The BESS will be deployed in Gurīn Energy’s stand-alone energy storage project to be built in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture. The project will be able to provide over 240 megawatts of power for four hours.

  A company spokesman commented: "Saft has been selected to supply a fully integrated lithium-ion battery energy storage system for renewable energy developer Gurīn Energy’s major project in Fukushima, Japan. The site’s 1 GWh of storage will help integrate renewables into Japan’s grid, balance demand and supply, and avoid curtailments. Battery energy storage is considered to be crucial for Japan in achieving 40-50 % renewables in its national power generation mix by 2040 (up from 27 % today) and carbon neutrality by 2050."

   Power conversion and power management systems will be supplied by Saft’s partners. Delivery will include Saft’s I-Sight cloud supervision and data management systems featuring AI-based functionalities. The BESS will also be installed, commissioned and serviced by Saft.

The BESS will be deployed at Gurīn Energy’s stand-alone energy storage project to be built in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, and will be capable of providing over 240 MW for four hours. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.

Ushio Okuyama, Country manager, Japan, Gurīn Energy, tells IPA: “Our project in Soma City  is regarded as a ground-breaking project which will substantially contribute to the flexibility of the local, regional and national power grids.”

Sōma is located in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Abukuma Plateau to the west. Sōma is closer to Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture than it is to the prefectural capital of Fukushima. A city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Sōma city has an estimated population of 34,631, and a population density of 180 persons per km2 in 14,358 households.  The total area of the city is 197.79 square kilometres (76.37 sq miles).