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Saudi Arabia: Qualified bidders revealed for Kingdom’s 8GWh first battery storage tender
2 January 2025
The state-owned Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) published a list of pre-qualified bidders in its first procurement of battery storage resources. Names entering the 2GW/8GWh build-own-operate (BOO) tender included big names from the Middle East region and overseas, including Masdar, ACWA Power, EDF and TotalEnergies.
Fire at Statera BESS project in England brought under control, handed back to site management
24 February 2025
Firefighters in Essex, England, responded to a fire at a BESS project on 19 February, bringing it under control and handing it back to site management a day later. Owner-operator Statera later confirmed it to have occurred in a “single containerised battery unit” with “no risk to the public at any stage.”
Powin files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and spins off project services business
11 June 2025
Powin filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court a few weeks after signalling its financial worries, citing industry headwinds among the factors that struck the system integrator down. The saga finally ended, perhaps as happily as could be expected, with the later acquisition of almost all of Powin’s assets by FlexGen.
Fire at Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility: What we know so far
24 January 2025
As fire engulfed MOSS300, the indoor-built first phase of Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility, we tried, with the help of fire safety expert Nick Warner at Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG), to unpick what was then known about the incident which began on 16 January and sent shockwaves through the industry.
250MWh ‘Sand Battery’ to start construction in Finland, for both heating and ancillary services
26 November 2025
This year’s most-read story about a non-lithium, non-pumped hydro technology didn’t involve sodium, or vanadium. The simplicity of a ‘Sand Battery’ that stores heat and can be scaled to provide 125 hours of storage duration captured readers’ imaginations.
Cancellation of 120GWh PHES sees power price forecasts jump 60% in Queensland, Australia
30 January 2025
Research firm Cornwall Insight predicted the cancellation of a 120GWh pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) project would lead to significant rises in the cost of power in Queensland, Australia, as well as a major shortfall in energy storage for the state.
Behind the numbers: BNEF finds 40% year-on-year drop in BESS costs
5 February 2025
In this ESN Premium deep dive, BNEF analyst Isshu Kikuma discussed the trends and dynamics impacting the cost of energy storage, after BNEF’s annual survey found a 40% fall in turnkey system prices from 2023 to 2024. That was the biggest drop since the BNEF survey began in 2017, and we heard about everything from the “gigantic” scale of the industry in China to the challenge facing the US’s domestic content ambitions.
Ontario government in pre-development of Canada’s biggest pumped hydro energy storage plant
29 January 2025
Pumped hydro is seeing its renaissance. Although its land and geoengineering requirements mean it won’t be cropping up everywhere, the government of Ontario began pre-development work on a CA$285 million (US$198 million) project toward the beginning of this year.
New South Wales to become first Australian state to pass battery regulation legislation
31 March 2025
The government of New South Wales, Australia, took a proactive approach to battery regulation, putting forward legislation that covered everything from safety to end-of-life responsibilities. As Penny Sharpe, minister for the environment said, batteries are essential to powering modern life, but must be used with adequate safety and care.
Tesla: ‘I don’t think we’re going to sell another battery in Australia that’s not grid-forming’
31 July 2025
Yes, we know Tesla is a big name. Yes, we knew grid-forming would be a big topic of discussion this year. However, it took us by surprise to see that this story, based on comments made by Shane Bannister, Tesla’s head of business development and sales for its Megapack in the APAC region at the Australian Clean Energy Summit 2025 in Sydney, was read by more of you than any other published this year.
Grid-forming battery storage systems can mimic the traditional roles of synchronous generation in stabilising the grid. Bannister said the Australian market has shifted to a significant extent toward grid-forming.