South African power company Eskom has announced that it has selected Hyosung Heavy Industries Corp of South Korea and Pinggao Group of China to provide battery energy storage solutions for the 343 MW multi-site distributed battery energy storage system (BESS) project.
Both companies were awarded contracts under a competitive bidding process. Eskom said the scope of works included five years of design, supply and installation, as well as operations and maintenance.
The project will install large cells with a capacity of 1,440 MWh/day and 60 MW of solar PV in two phases, spanning 12 sites in South Africa.
Phase 1 will install approximately 199 MW, 833 MWh of distributed BES, and 2 MW of solar PV capacity at eight distribution substations in Eskom. In the second phase, 144 MW/616 MWh of energy storage will be incorporated at four distribution stations and one transmission station in Eskom, as well as a 58 MW solar PV plant.
The distributed distribution system will be located in remote areas with limited access to Eskom's distribution grid, but close to renewable energy plants operating as independent power producers, the utility said.
The first phase of the site is expected to be commissioned by June 30, 2023, and the second phase is expected to be commissioned by December 2024.
The African Development Bank, the New Development Bank, the World Bank and the Clean Technology Fund are co-financing the BESS project.
