NAS Battery Handover Ceremony Held at Hungarian State-Owned Energy Company MVM

The NAS batteries have been installed inside the power station of MVM Balance for use in a grid storage battery demonstration project for stabilizing the electricity grid. The project will verify the use of grid storage batteries for storing energy during times of surplus and discharging it when there is a shortage, to boost the earliest social implementation. It will also examine the provision of adjustment capacity to the ancillary service market, which trades energy supply (adjustment capacity) to eliminate gaps in supply and demand of electric energy. The MVM Group has adopted a policy of full-scale advancement of storage battery installation as a measure for adjusting renewable energy supply and demand. With this demonstration project, the MVM Group plans to examine the performance standard for grid storage batteries to be introduced in the future.

At the conclusion of the installation and test operation work, a handover ceremony was held at the power station of MVM Balance in Liter on June 10. Government officials and personnel responsible for the MVM Group were in attendance, and the State Secretary of the Ministry for Energy of Hungary gave a speech, in which he noted that the introduction of batteries to the power station would enable rapid and flexible response to electric power demand and contribute to increasing energy stability and security.

Comment from Mr.Attila Steiner, State Secretary:
The Ministry of Energy aims to secure 1 gigawatt of electric energy storage capacity within Hungary by 2030. This demonstration project is a further step toward achieving this goal. At the same time, it will contribute to energy autonomy, sustainability, and technology reform. Stable energy supplies are essential to the building of resilient communities. This demonstration project is the key to obtaining electric power that local firms and citizens can rely on.

Comment from Hiroyuki Shinohara, Senior Vice President, Group Executive, Energy & Industry Business Group, NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
I am very honored to have been able to participate in this demonstration project. NAS batteries are a high-capacity storage battery that contributes to stable supplies of renewable energy with their ability to discharge electric power over a long period. Made by using the abundant resources of sodium (Na) and sulfur (S), they also have an inherent resilience to geopolitical risk. This demonstration project has demonstrated their effective role in resolving energy issues in Hungary. I look forward to seeing their beneficial impacts on the grid and on local communities.

Hungary, which has legislated the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050, has established a goal of converting 90% of its generated power to low-carbon sources by 2030, and is rapidly introducing renewable energy. Installed capacity of solar power generation equipment has reached approximately 8 gigawatts, accounting for over 25% of Hungary’s domestic electricity supply. Electric power demand and supply adjustment is essential for the stable use of renewable energy, and an urgent priority issue in terms of energy stability and security. Moreover, since the terrain in Hungary is mostly flat, it is difficult to construct pumped storage hydroelectricity stations, which require a difference in elevation, so demand for high-capacity storage batteries such as NAS batteries is increasing as an alternative, and their adoption is expected to expand.

NAS batteries are used in various applications including stabilization of renewable energy, electric power demand and supply balancing, and emergency power sources. They have so far been installed in over 300 locations around the world and have a stable operational track record of more than 20 years. NGK will continue to further promote marketing and sales activities for NAS batteries and contribute to the expansion of renewable energy introduction and realization of carbon neutrality globally.