Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) has announced plans to develop an independent greenfield 400-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) power project.

Ewec said it will deploy BESS to provide additional flexibility to the system and ancillary services such as frequency response and voltage regulation.

Ewec invited developers and developer consortiums to submit expression of interest (EOI) for the project by March 22.

Once fully operational, the project will contribute to EWEC’s decarbonisation strategy and accelerate the deployment and utilisation of renewable energy within the UAE.

BESS technology will play a crucial role in Ewec’s strategic plan to diversify its portfolio of energy projects with a focus on sustainability, in addition to increasing its total solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation capacity to 7.5 GW by 2030.

By implementing these critical strategic renewable energy projects, Ewec expects to cut its average carbon dioxide intensity from power generation by 42 per cent from 330 kg per megawatt hour (kg/MWh) in 2019 to an estimated 190 kg/MWh by 2030.

CEO Othman Al Ali said: “This project is a key part of our strategy to achieve the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035 and supports the UAE’s wider sustainability and decarbonisation objectives. Importantly, it also actively enhances the reliability of the nation’s energy infrastructure.”

“Compared to traditional grid storage solutions, BESS offers unmatched advantages, including increased flexibility, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and improved efficiency. EWEC continues to see BESS as a critical investment to manage system operability when large amounts of renewables are synchronised to the power system,” he noted.

“We look forward to receiving EOI submissions from developers and developer consortiums to partner with us in accelerating the UAE’s energy transition,” he added.

The project will follow the model of Abu Dhabi’s successful independent power project programme, It will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of the BESS system and associated infrastructure.