Corvus Setting Up USA Battery Factory For Offshore Vessels

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) supplier Corvus Energy has set up a U.S. battery factory to meet market demand for hybrid and zero-emission vessels.

The U.S.-based manufacturing facility, with an annual capacity of 200 MWh of stored energy capacity, will be located just north of Seattle in the Port of Bellingham and will support demand for marine BESS in the Americas as the marine industry accelerates its adoption of decarbonization technology to meet global GHG emissions reduction targets.

“We have seen a significant uptake in orders from the US market as well as a growing commitment from the government and industry players on reducing GHG emissions. Increased capacity and production flexibility will be key to meeting anticipated growth. The US factory, along with a more robust sales and service organization, will ensure that we can meet American shipowner’s goals and market demand, providing better services to the US maritime industry,” Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy said.

“Washington State was a natural choice for Corvus due to the presence of a strong maritime cluster, the state’s focus on green shipping, and the proximity to our large team near Vancouver, Canada. We know that a US presence and close collaboration with shipyards, shipowners, Washington Maritime Blue, and other suppliers and service providers foster innovation across the entire industry and build valuable competence. This will work as an accelerator to create local, green jobs,” Bjørkeli added.

“Congratulations to the Port of Bellingham and Corvus Energy on the new facility here in Washington. Corvus continues to thrive as a global leader in the sustainable transition of the maritime industry and I am pleased that they’ve chosen Washington as their first location in the US. This is a great chapter in the ongoing partnership between Washington and Norway on combatting climate change and bringing to reality the green jobs of the future,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee stated.

It is worth noting that Corvus has existing battery factories in Bergen, Norway, and Canada as well as a sales and service network serving Europe, North America, and Asia.

According to Corvus, forecasts predict a huge increase in demand as decarbonization pushes forward – estimating an $800 million market for maritime energy storage systems in 2030.

“Corvus is well-positioned to be an innovator and market leader in zero-emissions solutions, having amassed the largest installed base of maritime ESS – more than 600 projects and millions of operating hours,” the company explained.

The Corvus Energy Storage Systems are already deployed to more than 30 vessels in North America, as well as 29 hybrid port cranes, and 11 land-based drilling rigs.

The company also said that it noticed an increased demand in the tug industry and that it was participating in the first all-electric tugs in both Canada and USA. The HaiSea Marine tugs will serve the LNG export terminal in Kitimat and the Crowley e-Wolf currently being built at Master Boatbuilders will serve the port of San Diego.

Corvus believes that there will be strong growth in all market segments, most notably offshore wind and oil and gas support vessels, tugs, and workboats as well as Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferries, tour boats, and passenger ferries, and coastal and inland cargo vessels.

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