TotalEnergies’ Saft to supply 1 GWh Japanese battery

Saft, the French battery maker acquired by oil supermajor TotalEnergies in 2016, will supply the battery for a standalone, grid-connected battery in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture.

Announcing the supply deal on Thursday, TotalEnergies said Saft would supply a battery capable of charging and discharging “over 240 MW” over four hours for a total energy storage capacity of “over 1 GWh.”

The French brand will supply the battery as well as its I-Sight cloud-supervision and artificial-intelligence based data management system. The company will also deliver power conversion and energy management systems, sourced from its partners, and will service the BESS.

Construction on the project, under development in Soma City by Singapore-based renewables company Gurīn Energy, is set to start next year. Gurīn, which in December 2023 announced its intent to invest JPY 91 billion ($628 million) into BESS in Japan, says it has 500 MW/2 GWh of batteries under development in the country.

Total Energies said Japan currently takes 27% of its electricity from renewables and has goals of raising that figure to 40% to 50% by 2040, and of being carbon neutral by mid century.

Vincent Le Quintrec, Saft sales and marketing director for energy storage systems (ESS), said, “Asia is a critical region for the sustained, long-term growth of Saft’s ESS business. We are very proud that Gurīn Energy has selected Saft for this project in Japan, which is key for the country’s energy future. Saft’s proven long-term record in lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, together with Gurīn Energy’s ambition in renewable project development, will play an important role in Japan’s energy transition.”