According to Edie.net, French energy firm Total has confirmed it will be developing France’s largest energy storage system in Mardyck, at the Flandres Center, in Dunkirk’s port district. The 25MW project will be the largest lithium-ion energy storage system installed in the country.
“This project is part of Total’s strategy to develop the stationary energy storage solutions that are critical to the expansion of renewable energy, which is intermittent by nature. It will contribute toward the goal of increasing the share of renewables in France’s energy mix, while helping to stabilize the domestic power grid,” Total’s chief executive Patrick Pouyanné said.
“Total’s involvement in the electricity segment continues to expand. With more than 40% of the storage capacities allocated, Total was the leading winner of the first call for tenders organized by RTE (France’s Electricity Transmission Network). This success was made possible thanks to the competencies of Total Flex, renewable energy aggregation expert, and Saft, a European leader in batteries for energy storage”.
The project will come online in late 2020 at a cost of around €15m and will comprise of 11 2.3 MWh containers designed at Saft’s production site in Bordeaux.
Total is aiming to decarbonize its electricity portfolio and has pledged to ensure that low-carbon technology accounts for 15 to 20% of its sales mix by 2040. Total’s current gross low-carbon power generation capacity is close to 7GW, of which more than 3GW from renewable energy sources.