BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12. Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has been selected by Asian renewable energy developer Gurīn Energy to provide a battery energy storage system (BESS) for a major project in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Trend reports.
The system will support Gurīn Energy’s stand-alone energy storage project in Soma City, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026. Once operational, the BESS will provide over 240 MW of power for a duration of four hours.
Saft will supply a fully integrated lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system with a total capacity of more than 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh). The delivery includes power conversion and power management systems from Saft’s partners, as well as its I-Sight cloud-based supervision and data management platform, which includes AI-enabled features. Saft will also be responsible for the installation, commissioning, and servicing of the system.
The large-scale BESS is intended to support grid stability by storing electricity when demand is low and supplying it when needed. This will help improve energy supply reliability and reduce renewable energy curtailment.
The project aligns with Japan’s broader energy goals, including increasing the share of renewables in its electricity mix to 40–50 percent by 2040 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Currently, renewables account for approximately 27 percent of Japan’s power generation.
Saft’s Sales and Marketing Director for Energy Storage Systems, Vincent Le Quintrec, noted that Asia is a key region for the company’s long-term growth in energy storage and highlighted the importance of the project for Japan’s energy transition.
Ushio Okuyama, Country Manager for Japan at Gurīn Energy, said the Soma City project will enhance grid flexibility and contribute to energy transition efforts both locally and nationally.