Ireland in line for 1 GWh iron-air battery storage project

Ireland could host Europe’s first large-scale, iron-air project southwest of Buncrana town in Donegal County. The 10 MW facility proposed by FuturEnergy Ireland will be capable of storing 1 GWh of energy.

The joint venture of Ireland’s state-owned forestry business Coillte and utility ESB submitted a planning application earlier this week for its first battery storage project, Ballynahone Energy Storage, to Donegal County Council.

The proposed development is designed to use iron-air battery technology supplied by US-based Form Energy capable of discharging energy at its full power output for up to 100 hours when fully charged.

FuturEnergy Ireland is seeking “a 10-year permission for the development of a long-duration energy storage (LDES) compound with a total surface area of around 2.9 hectares containing 248 battery energy storage units in the form of metal shipping containers (12.2 m x 2.6 m x 2.9 m) and associated anciliary control and ventilation equipment,” according to its application.

It is also planning to install an onsite transformer compound to connect to the adjacent 110 kV Trillick substation. Other works would entail installing underground electrical and communication cabling, freshwater storage tank, and drainage system. The proposed LDES facility will be operational for 30 years, according to the project proponents.

Form Energy’s multiday storage technology relies on abundant materials such as iron, water, and air. Its basic principle of operation is reversible rusting: while the battery is discharging, it breathes in oxygen from the air and converts iron metal to rust; while the battery is charging, the application of an electrical current converts the rust back to iron, and the system breathes out oxygen.

​​​An iron-air battery is said to be inherently safe, featuring non-toxic electrodes and iron anodes submerged in a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, therefore bearing no risk of thermal runaway. ​​ 

Form Energy is already deploying its pioneering technology on several sites, including the 85 MW/8.5 GWh project in the US state of Maine – the largest battery by storage capacity in the world – as well as a 15 MW / 1.5 GWh system in Georgia and a 10 MW/1 GWh development in Minnesotta.

While the price tag of the project has not been revealed, Paul Blount, Portfolio Director at FuturEnergy Ireland, was quoted by Irish Tech News as saying: “Iron-air technology was selected by FuturEnergy Ireland following a robust procurement process. Based on the analysis completed by our team, we believe this technology has the potential to be a game-changer for the Irish power system.”

Form Energy has been constructing its first high-volume iron-air battery production facility in Weirton, West Virginia, at the site of the former Weirton Steel plant for the last year. It launched trial production at its Form Factory 1 earlier this month. The facility will ultimately employ more than 750 people and will have an annual production capacity of 500 MW of batteries when operating at full capacity.