Gravity storage is getting a boost from the South African state-owned company Eskom.
By ESS news
Energy Vault has struck a deal with South Africa’s state-owned utility Eskom, signing a strategic development agreement for the potential implementation of a 25 MW/100 MWh grid-scale gravity energy storage system (GESS) at the Hendrina power plant in Mpumalanga.
The agreement also formalizes a framework to “license, co-develop and collaborate up to 4 GWh of long-term storage deployments” across all 16 states of the Southern African Development Community, including countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia and others.
The Hendrina site is one of Eskom’s oldest coal-fired power stations and Energy Vault said it would deploy its EVx 2.0 gravity platform using recycled blocks made from waste coal ash, each of which can weigh as much as 25-30 tonnes. The company also said its platform offers advances in software orchestration, mechanical operations and construction automation
Robert Piconi, Chairman and CEO of Energy Vault, said: “By combining our pioneering EVx 2.0 platform with Eskom’s extensive energy generation, network expertise and regional reach, we are not only advancing long-term storage at unprecedented scale, but also pioneering a new model for sustainable industrial development.
No further details about project timelines or deadlines, financial information or government support were made public.
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