Nuclear technology company Rosatom, Russia’s biggest electricity provider and the country’s supplier of nuclear fuel for power plants, has opened an energy storage business unit based around lithium-ion batteries.
The state corporation – State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom to give it its full name – said last week that it has “completed incorporation” of the energy storage business development arm, to be called RENERA.
RENERA was previously Cathode Materials LLC, an enterprise company launched by Rosatom’s nuclear fuel cycle company TVEL. Rosatom said the new unit will “develop and trade module type lithium-ion traction batteries”.
In addition to electric vehicle (EV) industry segments, the company will focus on energy storage systems for applications including emergency power supply, renewable energy and smoothing load demand on the grid.
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Including contracts already signed by TVEL business enterprises, Rosatom claimed it already has more than 120 projects, both ongoing and completed, for the supply of lithium-ion battery storage devices: again these span across applications from EVs for logistics to substation DC power systems and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems.
Rosatom called lithium-ion batteries “one of the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced solutions for intralogistics,” as well as describing lithium-ion traction batteries as “explosion-proof”, “environmentally-friendly” and said that the modules are sealed and “do not require maintenance”.
RENERA’s director general, Emin Askerov, said the company offers a “comprehensive solution for our customers, from a feasibility study to installation of equipment and post-warranty service”.
“We are committed to comply with individual customer requirements for technical specifications and offer flexible commercial conditions. We already accomplish projects under a rent scheme and plan to start leasing and life cycle agreements,” Askerov said.
Rosatom has delivered three nuclear power plant projects in Russia and is working on 36 units at various stages of implementation abroad, while the company also generates around 19% of Russia’s electricity and more recently has diversified into other areas including wind power. Subsidiary TVEL Fuel Company of Russia meanwhile provides nuclear fuel for more than 70 power plants in 13 countries worldwide with the state-owned parent company employing more than 250,000 people across around 350 different enterprise units.
