ITOCHU Corporation (Keita Ishii, President and COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced that Senri Chikudensho Co., Ltd., a joint venture set up by ITOCHU, Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (Masataka Fujiwara, Representative Director and President; hereinafter “Osaka Gas”), and Tokyo Century Corporation (Koji Fujiwara, President & CEO, Representative Director; hereinafter “Tokyo Century”), has started the commercial operation of a utility-scale energy storage facility (hereinafter “Senri Chikudensho”).
The demand for energy storage devices, which compensate for fluctuations in the generation of electricity from renewable sources of energy, has increased in recent years due to the increasing adoption of renewable energy. Utility-scale energy storage devices connected directly to the power grid help stabilize energy supply and demand by storing surplus energy for later use.
Senri Chikudensho, located on the premises of Senri Supply Center (Suita-shi, Osaka) owned by OSAKA GAS NETWORK CO., LTD., is an energy storage facility with a rated output of 11 MW and a rated capacity of 23 MWh. In April 2023, Senri Chikudensho was selected to receive a FY2022 supplementary subsidy to promote the use of distributed energy resources and expand renewable energy power (grid storage battery systems and water electrolysis equipment) publicly offered by the general incorporated association Sustainable Open Innovation Initiative. All construction and administrative procedures have been completed, and commercial operation started today.
ITOCHU, Osaka Gas and Tokyo Century will help accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, support the stability of the power grid, and work to realize a decarbonized society, which is a social issue, through the expansion of their utility-scale energy storage business.
