Utility EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company) has invited developers to submit expressions of interest (EOI) for a 400MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project in the UAE.
It follows EWEC's recommendation made this time last year that the UAE should deploy 300MW/300MWh of BESS capacity by 2026. It didn't reveal when it hoped the 400MW (MWh capacity undisclosed) would come online, so it's not clear whether this is part of a longer-term target or whether its forecasted needs have increased.
Why is EWEC deploying Bess in Abu Dhabi?
"Ewec is deploying bess to enhance the flexibility and stability of Abu Dhabi's energy network, allowing for the effective management of peak demand and integration of increasing amounts of renewable energy," the utility said in a media statement on 25 July.
What does Bess stand for?
03 June 2025 The Baochi Storage Station in Yunnan integrates lithium and sodium-ion technologies at scale, a global first, aiming to stabilize renewable energy and... Emirates Water and Electricity Co. (EWEC) has started accepting expressions of interest for a 400 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
Interested parties should submit their EOI to [email protected], after which EWEC will issue a request for qualifications to parties wishing to proceed to the next stage. Utility EWEC has invited developers to submit expressions of interest (EOI) for a 400MW BESS project in the UAE.
The planned facility is expected to provide up to 800 megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage capacity. Called Bess 1, the project will closely follow the model of Ewec's independent power project (IPP) programme, in which developers enter into a long-term energy storage agreement (ESA) with Ewec as the sole procurer.
The project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of the BESS system and associated infrastructure, with EWEC then entering into a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the project's offtake.