Simon Mannweiler / CC BY-SA 4.0
Envision Energy and ju:niz Energy announced plans on November 9 to expand their partnership with a 442-megawatt-hour battery storage project in Vöhringen, Bavaria, Germany. The Smareg 13 project, also called Vöhringen II, would add four-hour storage technology to ju:niz’s German portfolio, with Envision supplying its Gen 8 battery energy storage platform.
The announcement describes a project being developed, not 442 megawatt-hours of new capacity already operating. It provides no commissioning date, construction timetable or contract value. It also does not state the system’s power rating in megawatts, a different measure from the amount of energy it can store.
ju:niz will be responsible for developing, financing and realizing Smareg 13 and will operate the system over the long term. Envision’s role centers on its battery storage technology and project delivery. The release did not identify a financing amount, lenders or the terms of the companies’ agreement.
Smareg 13 will be the partners’ third project, taking the combined scale of their collaboration to nearly 600 megawatt-hours. That total covers the partnership, rather than Smareg 13 alone. Envision executive Henry Peng said the larger project is moving forward before the first two projects have completed delivery, so the combined figure should not be read as capacity already delivered under the partnership.
The planned system is next to the operational Smareg 12 facility. That existing site’s operating status is separate from Smareg 13’s development. The announcement does not establish when the new project’s storage will become available to the grid.
Battery storage can hold energy for later use, making it relevant to balancing electricity supply and demand as renewable generation expands. The partners said Smareg 13 is intended to provide more flexibility and balancing capability in Bavaria. Its eventual contribution will depend on completion and operation, not just the announced storage size.
Envision said its Gen 8 platform combines four-hour storage with grid-forming capabilities, which are intended to support the electricity grid. It also described a low-noise design aimed at acoustically sensitive settings and said noise is one of Smareg 13’s site challenges. The release supplies no measured noise levels or independent performance results for this project.
Vural Oezcan, chief operating officer of ju:niz Energy, described the project as having an advanced development status. That assessment does not specify which permits or construction milestones have been completed. The announcement gives no detailed approval record or firm date for the next stage.
The agreement extends a technology relationship around a larger storage project rather than announcing a finished plant. For the German energy system, the issue to watch is when the planned capacity reaches service and how it performs. For the companies, the undisclosed costs, financing terms and delivery schedule leave the project’s financial impact unclear.
JBizNews Desk | Vöhringen, Bavaria, Germany
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