100 GWh: Europe’s largest battery project is born

Repono is developing a pan-European project focused on the ownership and operation of large battery energy storage systems (BESS). The goal of the project is to deploy 100 GWh of new BESS in the European energy grid by 2030.

Source: Leag

Big ambitions

By applying a holistic approach based on its own portfolio, which can be replicated in different regions, Repono will be able to standardize and accelerate the deployment of these systems across Europe with the aim of storing gigawatt hours of surplus electricity from renewable sources, reducing the risk of outages, balance energy prices, and enable a continuous, balanced supply of clean energy. In addition to EIT InnoEnergy, the first sponsors of the Repono project include Schneider Electric, SIPLEC E.Leclerc, Stena Metall, Boryszew Group, and NTM GmbH.

With sufficient capitalization for the first years of operation, Repono aims to capture a 10% share of the European market, with an estimated volume of 1 terawatt hour (TWh) in 2030.

To achieve its ambition of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, the European Commission has set minimum national targets of 42.5% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Increased electrification of the economy as the best way to decarbonize, combined with a growing share of renewables, will require the rapid deployment of large-scale electricity storage solutions.

Three key priorities

Rasmus Bergstrom, CEO of Repono, said: “The European electricity grid and network were built for the stable supply of dispatchable energy sources, not for a massive influx of decentralized and intermittent renewable energy sources. Therefore, Europe’s forced shift away from coal, oil, and gas is putting enormous pressure on our long-standing energy infrastructure, leading to frequent restrictions on cheap and clean energy, unstable and unnecessarily high prices, or outages. This is holding back the energy transition as a whole at a time when, as a society, we have everything but enough time. This is where Repono comes in.

Repono directly addresses these challenges in three key areas. First, it will strategically manage its storage capacity through short-term spot markets. Repono will monitor market fluctuations, enabling it to buy, charge, sell, and discharge at the right time to shift excess production to periods of excess demand.

Second, Repono’s balancing services will be essential to maintaining grid stability and preventing large-scale outages. Finally, by incorporating energy storage into power purchase agreements (PPAs) between large independent power producers and industrial companies, Repono will help ensure a reliable, uninterrupted, and decarbonized electricity supply.

Following its acquisition of BatteryLoop, Repono already operates energy storage systems in the Nordic countries and employs a team of 25 highly skilled professionals.