Battery producer Saft has been contracted by Neoen to deliver a turnkey 8MW/8 megawatt-hour energy storage system (ESS) in Antugnac, southern France.
The facility will be the first co-located ESS and solar farm connected to RTE’s high-voltage transmission grid in France.
It is expected to provide frequency regulation services to enable Neoen to meet its contractual commitments under RTE’s Long Term Call for Tenders scheme (AOLT).
Saft is building the new ESS on an EPC basis, with completion scheduled for spring 2022, within 10 months of contract signing.
The storage will provide Neoen with operational flexibility, future-proofing the profitability of the investment.
This is supported by a long-term end-to-end service agreement that provides Neoen with flexible performance guarantees for 15 years, including guaranteed ageing and availability, as well as handling of the asset end of life and recycling.
Neoen French development director Guillaume Decaen said: “Neoen is the leading French independent producer of renewable energy and a major player on the world stage.
“We are aiming for more than 10GW in operation or under construction by 2025, and can only do that by developing assets that deliver value over the long term.
“We already have a number of ESS in operation, and we have chosen Saft to deliver the Antugnac project because of its deep knowledge of battery technology and proven experience in energy storage globally, its ability to manage a complete EPC scope including civil works and grid connection requirements from project inception to end-of-life dismantling, and crucially because the performance is guaranteed throughout the lifetime of the asset.”
The ESS includes four Intensium Max 20 containers, power conversion technology, control and SCADA systems.
Saft will provide engineering, manufacturing, construction and integration of the system into the transmission grid, as well as delivering service support from Bordeaux, one its three global ESS hubs.
It will primarily deliver frequency regulation services under the seven-year AOLT contract awarded to Neoen, but will also be used for additional services to optimise revenue over the coming 15-years.
Saft executive vice president for energy storage solutions Herve Amosse said: “Neoen is one of the world’s leading and most experienced developers of wind and solar plants with battery storage, able to seize application opportunities on evolving energy markets.
“Winning the Antugnac contract, delivering the turnkey EPC project and connecting the ESS to the French transmission grid demonstrates Saft’s capability to deliver cost-effective energy storage solutions with its Intensium Max battery.
“Our products and services match the flexibility and performance requirements of Neoen to operate its asset efficiently throughout the project life.”