RheEnergise, a UK-based developer of long-duration hydro energy storage, has appointed Yves Rannou, former President and CEO of Alstom Wind and GE Hydro, as a non-executive director.
Rannou, who has also held senior roles at Suez, will work with RheEnergise’s management team, led by CEO Stephen Crosher, and board chair Jim Campion. He will advise on the commercialisation of the company’s High-Density Hydro® technology, project development, and overall business strategy.
RheEnergise is preparing to begin operations at its pre-commercial demonstrator project in Devon, which is mainly funded by the UK government. The company expects its first commercial-scale projects to be operational by 2028 and has agreements to deploy its technology in the UK, South America, Australia, and mainland Europe.
Jim Campion, chair of RheEnergise, said: “We are delighted that Yves Rannou has joined the RheEnergise board. His deep knowledge of pumped hydro storage, accumulated over decades with leadership roles in companies like Alstom Hydro and GE Hydro, and his involvement with a range of start-ups working in the green economy, will be a huge asset for us. As we navigate the pathway to our first commercial LDES projects, Yves’ industry knowledge and expert insight will be enormously valuable.”
Yves Rannou commented: “My experience at GE, Alstom, and other major industrial leaders such as Suez showed me a simple truth: standardization of large-scale industrial products is the path to lower costs, greater efficiency, and the most affordable energy solutions. I’ve long believed the first company to apply this model to hydropower would revolutionize the energy transition; RheEnergise is that company. They are not only standardizing system design, but their innovative, ultra-high-density fluid dramatically expands the range of viable storage sites and significantly reduces the project footprint. RheEnergise is finally unlocking the true scaling potential of pumped hydro.”
“Yves Rannou is a respected industry leader, and his endorsement of our vision is a powerful catalyst for the next phase of our mission to build a decarbonized power grid. We’re thrilled to welcome him to our Board,” added Stephen Crosher, CEO of RheEnergise.
