Evlo to supply 300 MWh of safety-enhanced battery storage to Virginia’s Dominion Energy

Evlo has struck a deal with North American utility company Dominion Energy to deploy its EVLOFLEX battery energy storage system (BESS) across three large-scale projects totaling more than 300 MWh located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States.

The Canadian company’s involvement in the Virginia developments was previously announced in September. Now, Evlo has augmented its BESS solution to comply with Dominion’s safety requirements. The updated EVLOFLEX model is the result of the duo’s collaboration, and it has received UL 9540 certification following rigorous testing conducted by several North American certification agencies.

The UL 9540 certification recognizes BESS safety, reliability, and performance across design, production, testing, installation, and operation. It requires fire prevention and response management, explosion containment measures, hazard detection features, resistance to cascading failures, and strict functional safety governance.

Evlo first received the UL 9540 certification in March 2024, but it later successfully recertified the model following the adjustments Dominion Energy specified.  The company said the updated BESS will be available for other clients also.

“We are proud of our team’s success in augmenting EVLOFLEX to meet Dominion’s specific safety requirements,” said Evlo Chief Technology Officer Michel Cousineau. “Through targeted adjustments, we’ve further strengthened EVLOFLEX’s safety features. The integration of an external fire panel control, for example, will facilitate regulatory approval process by authorities having jurisdictions.”

“This will benefit both Dominion and future clients seeking for their projects to meet stringent certification standards like NFPA 72,” Cousineau added, referring to the classification system used by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) which measures systems’ fire safety standards.

Evlo’s BESS has both active and passive thermal runaway mitigation features, exceeding NFPA 69 design standards that ensures passive gas evacuation even during power outages, the company said.

The trio of Virginia-based projects in which it will be deployed are due to begin commissioning in 2025 and 2026. According to Evlo’s President and Chief Executive Officer Sonia St-Arnaud, collaborating with big utilities such as Dominion is in the company’s DNA.

“As a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec, North America’s largest renewable energy provider, partnering with utilities is in our DNA. EVLOFLEX enhanced fire and safety version’s recertification of UL 9540 standards demonstrates our unwavering commitment to safety and innovation in the large-scale energy storage sector.”

In August 2024, Evlo launched a 5 MWh containerized battery energy storage system housed in a 20-foot container. Evlo Synergy uses lithium-ferro phosphate technology and operates in two or four hour durations.