Uniper is to install two new battery systems with a total capacity of 12MW at the Bodum and Fjällsjö hydropower plants in Jämtland, Sweden
The new installations follow the commissioning earlier this year of two battery systems at the Edsele power plant in Ångermanland and the Lövön power plant in Jämtland, with a total installed capacity of approximately 21MW. Shareholder Fortum has similar installations at Forshuvudforsen and Landaforsen with a total capacity of 6 MW.
In a statement, the firms said these investments make Uniper and Fortum the leading players in innovative hybrid systems with the combination of batteries and hydropower. This combination prevents poorer electricity quality and, in the worst case, extensive power outages. Hydropower is responsible for electricity storage, and the battery for rapid frequency adjustment. Thanks to hydropower, the battery doesn´t need to have such a large storage capacity.
“As weather-dependent electricity production is expanded, the need to utilize hydropower's regulatory capacity also increases. With our battery system in Sweden, we can make better use of the flexibility of hydropower and thus increase the stability of the electricity system”, said David Bryson, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Uniper.
Johan Svenningsson, CEO of Uniper Sweden, addeds: “So far, the battery technology has shown great potential and our first operating season has more than met our expectations. Now we are anxious to continue the expansion. We will start the installations at Bodum and Fjällsjö already in October, in order to be able to use the batteries fully in connection with the spring flood next year.”
Uniper said it is not only in Sweden that it sees a market for the new battery system. The plan is a broader implementation in Europe where Uniper and Fortum are operating power plants.
The battery system will be delivered by the engineering and technology company Nidec Industrial Solutions (NIS), which is part of the Nidec Group.
