SCHMID Group and NUSANED Investment (an investment company owned by Saudi Basic Industries Corp – SABIC) announced at the beginning of this month that they have successfully closed their Joint Venture transaction focusing on manufacturing and technology development in the field of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB) after receiving all required regulatory approvals and satisfying all closing conditions.
The agreement to establish the Advance Energy Storage System Investment Company was signed and announced in May 2019. The Joint Venture aims to become a global technology leader and champion in the fast-growing utility-scale energy storage segment, supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic diversification objectives. With R&D facilities in Germany and Saudi Arabia, the Company plans to set-up a Gigawatt scale manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, expected to be in production in 2021. The JV’s strategy for developing value chain integrated production will allow it to achieve global cost leadership
The partnership will directly contribute to the Kingdom’s renewable ambitions. As per the new energy mix announced this year, Saudi Arabia will aim to install 57.5 GW of renewable capacity in the Kingdom by 2030. Utility-scale stationary energy storage systems will be critical to ensure that the new renewable capacity is stabilized and connected reliably to the grid. The Kingdom could also leverage this technology in the upcoming mega-projects in the Kingdom such as NEOM and Red Sea Project.
The partners in this investment are aiming to position the Kingdom to become an R&D and manufacturing hub for utility-scale energy storage, and play a leading role in the development of domestic and international markets.
Nusaned Investment is an investment company based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and owned by SABIC with a mandate to increase local content in the Kingdom. Nusaned Investment invests alongside local investors in localizing mature technologies and pioneering emerging technologies in the Kingdom. Nusaned Investment prioritizes economic development and strategic benefit for KSA related to SABIC value chain, in addition to supporting and enabling the execution of KSA’s National Industrial Strategy (NIS).
The SCHMID Group is a technology group based in Freudenstadt, Germany. Founded in 1864, the group of companies employs more than 900 staff members worldwide and has technology centres and manufacturing sites in Germany, China, Turkey and the USA in addition to several sales and service locations worldwide. The group focuses on developing customized equipment and process solutions for multiple industries including Electronics, Renewables and Energy Storage.