4 GWh of BESS secured: Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) tapped China’s HiTHIUM to supply two large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects with a combined capacity of 4 GWh in the northern provinces of Tabuk and Hail, according to a press release. The projects will be developed in partnership with Alfanar Projects and are slated to come online by 2026.

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The price tag: HiTHIUM’s two supply contracts were valued at SAR 686.4 mn and SAR 671 mn for Hail and Tabuk, respectively, with its maintenance contract worth SAR 6.1 mn, Saudi Gulf Projects reported. Meanwhile, Alfanar’s two construction packages came in SAR 441 mn and SAR 436 mn

The details: HiTHIUM will handle system design, equipment supply, installation supervision, and ongoing maintenance, while Alfanar will lead construction. The systems will be built on HiTHIUM’s 6.25 MWh long-duration battery cells, deployed in containerized units engineered for local climate conditions.

BESS everywhere: SEC launched the second phase of its BESS project with a 2.5 GW capacity last April, comprising 500MW/2GWh BESS projects across five locations — Riyadh, Al Qaisumah, Al Jawf, Al Dawadmi, and Rabigh. SEC was reportedly tapping Alfanar Projects and BYD for the projects.

REMEMBER- Ramping up investments in BESS is necessary to maintain grid stability due to the intermittency of renewable energy supply, which relies on external sources such as solar or wind. BESS capacity is expected to reach 8 GWh — four times the current capacity — by the year-end, with the Kingdom targeting 48 GWh by 2030.

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