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Saft, a subsidiary of French group TotalEnergies, is going to integrate a 10 MW energy storage system with the Boundiali solar power plant in Côte d’Ivoire. Saft has won the contract for the installation of a lithium-ion battery storage system from the project developer, Eiffage Energie Systèmes.
Located in the Bagoué Region, the 37.5 MWp solar PV plant is under development by Côte d’Ivoire Energies (CI-Energies). It is the first large-scale solar power plant to be built in the country.
The developers of the solar project have planned a means of capacity firming and smoothing of the solar plant’s inherently intermittent output in order to ensure predictable and reliable power to the local grid.
Saft, which has expertise in battery storage system manufacturing, will install six containers of its Intensium Max High Energy systems. These containers would provide a total of 10 MW/13.8 MWh energy storage, together with power conversion and medium voltage power station systems.
Boundiali city area is classified as a semi-arid zone with a very hot and dry climate. The battery containers are designed to resist hot and dusty winds to ensure reliability and long life in ambient temperatures. The battery systems are scheduled for commissioning at the solar plant’s site in September 2022.
Ludovic Bavière of Eiffage Energie Systèmes said as the main contractor for the solar project, it was quite essential to find a partner that could not only meet the plant’s technical requirements but also guarantee its reliability throughout its 10-year lifespan. Saft has been awarded the contract owing to its ability to meet these project requirements.
CI Energies also wants to test the battery systems on its other network support options, which include ramp rate control, black start, frequency support, and reactive power support. These testing procedures would provide essential data on the aging of batteries in different service stacking scenarios.
The Boundiali solar PV plant is expected to supply clean and reliable electricity to around 30,000 households while avoiding emissions of 27,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year. The project budget is estimated at €40 million. The developers are relying on two sources of funding, including a €27 million loan from the German development agency KfW and another €9.7 million grant from the European Union (EU).
