Nidec and Verkor: Strategic partners for the expansion of stationary energy storage solutions

• The partnership will begin immediately with qualification and testing in order to provide battery energy storage system (BESS) clients with adapted solutions as soon as possible.
• Verkor will supply cells from its manufacturing facility in Dunkirk to Nidec.
• Verkor proposes a battery cell and module supply of 450 MWh/year in 2025, increasing to 3GWh/year, with a goal to provide a cumulative 10 GWh by 2030.
• Nidec expands the variety of its offerings with the incremental range of batteries introduced and demonstrating high flexibility in supporting its customers with different and efficient stationary energy storage solutions.
  

Grenoble (France), Milan (Italy) – 7 September 2023 – After signing an MoU, Verkor, European pioneer of low‑carbon high-performance battery cells, and Nidec, global leader in stationary energy storage systems, today announced a non-binding partnership to produce 10 GWh in battery cells and modules by 2030.

As part of this strategic partnership, Verkor will develop, manufacture and supply battery cells and modules. Nidec will further develop the battery management systems, integrate these modules into packs, racks and containers, and distribute them to specialised stationary energy storage players.

This collaboration takes effect immediately with the qualification and testing phase. Both parties have a shared priority to offer BESS clients the most innovative and sustainable solutions. Verkor will ramp up production and delivery of cells and modules from 450 MWh in the first year, to a yearly supply of 3 GWh from its Dunkirk gigafactory, adding up to an accumulated supply of 10 GWh by 2030.

Non-binding and non-exclusive, the partnership will allow the two partners to consolidate their market positions and be even more integrated in the European ecosystem.

The cells will be integrated in Roche la Molière and used in systems supplied by Nidec throughout Europe. Nidec has System Integration capabilities in Germany (Salzbergen), Italy (Milan, Montebello and Genoa) as well as operations in Holland, Spain and the UK.

Benoit Lemaignan Co-Founder and CEO of Verkor said: “We are pleased to kick off this collaboration that unite two key players in the energy ecosystem to provide new, highly innovative and sustainable solutions to BESS clients. The partnership strengthens our presence in energy storage, and demonstrates the diversity of our battery technology applications at a time when demand for sustainable stationary energy storage solutions is outgrowing supply. It is also an important step forward in response to the ambition to accelerate the energy transition.”

Dominique Llonch, CEO of Nidec Industrial Solutions said “Partnering with Verkor will strengthen Nidec’s strategic position in the battery energy storage systems market, being able to efficiently support customers through a wider choice of customized solutions for different use cases and needs due to the variety of batteries introduced. By surrounding ourselves with partners who excel in specific expertise, Nidec aims to achieve increasing levels of technological competitiveness in the years to come differentiating ourselves as a global leader for BESS. Our goal is to become the number one battery energy storage provider globally. Our expertise in Power Management and Power Conversion combined with state-of-the-art battery solutions will be key to our success.”

About Verkor
Founded in July 2020, Verkor is a French industrial company based in Grenoble. With the backing of EIT InnoEnergy, Groupe IDEC, Schneider Electric, Capgemini, Renault Group, EQT Ventures, Arkema, Tokai COBEX, FMET managed by Demeter, Sibanye-Stillwater, Plastic Omnium and Bpifrance. Verkor will ramp up low-carbon battery manufacturing in France and Europe to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles —and electric mobility as a whole — and stationary storage in Europe.

Verkor is developing an enticing business model based on agility, sustainability and governance that is attracting the best talents from around the world. Its strong and agile team continues to grow as new challenges arise. Verkor is leading a unifying project that brings together the best partners for establishing the entire value chain in Europe and ensuring the optimal use of skills and resources. Verkor will draw on these strengths to open its entirely digital 4.0 pilot line in 2023. A model of excellence, competitiveness and resource efficiency, this innovation will be integrated into the Gigafactory due for construction in 2024.

For more information, www.verkor.com