Chinese firm BYD Energy Storage is to complete grid-scale energy storage projects with a capacity of 12.5GWh for Saudi Electricity in what is claimed to be the world’s largest deal of its type.

Combined with the previously delivered 2.6GWh project, the total cooperation has amounted to 15.1GWh.

This is a stride towards advancing Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy industry and aligning with the goals set forth in the country’s Vision 2030 initiative. In response to pressing global climate challenges, Saudi Electric (www.se.com.sa) has been committed to reshaping Saudi Arabia’s energy landscape and spearheading exploration in renewable energy, driven by the country’s ambition to achieve an energy mix of 50% of renewables by 2030.

The BESS equipment in the projects will be installed at five sites in the country. BYD will supply MC Cube-T ESS units that adopt its CtS (cell-to-system) integrated technology, with a Vcts (proportion of cell volume to system volume) index exceeding 33%. These installations will integrate into Saudi Arabia’s power transmission network, helping address challenges posed by the rising number of renewable energy generation systems, ensuring stable power supply, and meeting peak energy demands.

The first pilot BESS system was delivered 17 years ago from BYD to the market to seek for the potential value of LFP-based battery storage system to be coupled in electricity networks. To date, BYD has delivered over 75GWh of BESS equipment to 350 projects spanning more than 110 countries and regions worldwide.

Its product portfolio caters to various applications across generation, utility and consumption sides, forming a complete industrial chain encompassing research, development, manufacturing, sales and service.

This project could redefine the value and status of electrochemical energy storage in the global energy landscape. Taking this cooperation as a starting point, BYD (www.bydenergy.com) plans to continue increasing investment in technology research and development and join hands with global partners to usher in an era of energy transition, taking the energy storage industry towards a clean and sustainable future.