Corvus Energy celebrated the grand opening of its new battery factory in Bellingham WA this week. The ceremony was held with distinguished guests such as the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, Norway’s Ambassador to the USA, Anniken Krutnes and US representative Rick Larsen along with customers, industry partners, government agencies and others.
Photo caption: Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee cut the ribbon to officially open the new Corvus battery factory in Bellingham, WA US accompanied by (Left to right) Ole Jacob Irgens, President Corvus Energy Americas, Anniken Krutnes, Norway`s Ambassador to the USA, Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington, Rick Larsen US representative and Geir Bjørkeli, CEO Corvus
The new battery plant is located in Fairhaven at the Port of Bellingham and is a key step in the expansion of Corvus’ US operations.
Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy explains, “We have seen a significant uptake in opportunities for maritime batteries from the US market. Increased capacity and production flexibility will be key to meeting this anticipated growth. “Washington state was a natural choice for Corvus due to its presence of a strong maritime cluster, the state’s focus on green shipping, and the proximity to our Richmond facility in Canada. US presence and close collaboration with shipyards, shipowners, Washington Maritime Blue as well as other suppliers and service providers foster innovation across the entire industry and build valuable competence and local green jobs”.
The US-based manufacturing facility, has a capacity of 200 MWh and will support demand for marine energy storage systems in the Americas.
The Governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee was full of praise in his speech for what Corvus has achieved with its new facility in Bellingham: “I am so thrilled to be with you today to celebrate the opening of your new facility. Climate change is a huge threat, and it has since long been my dream to build a clean energy economy. I have seen the future when I visited an electric ferry in Norway last year. No fuel – no noise – no vibration – the crew members were thrilled, and they all want to work onboard electric ferries. Bringing Corvus Energy to Washington state is a step in the right direction. I hope for a bright forthcoming industry here in Washington and that it will generate lots of new green energy jobs as we go along.
Increasing interest in energy storage
Ole Jacob Irgens is President Americas in Corvus Energy and leads the sales and business development. He says: “We see a big change. Ship owners, designers, naval architects as well as electric propulsion integrators in North and South America are turning to Corvus in record numbers, The US factory, along with a more robust sales and service organization, will ensure that we can better service our US customers. Irgens continues, “Our customers see great value in Corvus’ investments in North America and our efforts in creating green jobs in local communities such as Bellingham. In addition, it is critical for our customer’s success that Corvus provides local support and service to their operations.”
The battery plant is ideally located at the Port of Bellingham, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s maritime and transportation community hubs.
Production of market-leading marine battery system
The Bellingham Plant will produce the modules for Corvus Energy’s market-leading and award-winning Corvus Orca ESS. There have been close to 650 Corvus Orca projects with a combined energy storage capacity of 550 MWh worldwide since the ESS product revolutionized battery-powered marine propulsion with its introduction in 2016. Since then, product enhancements and continual upgrades have kept Corvus Orca ESS at the forefront of the global movement towards low- and zero-emission vessels and maritime infrastructure.
The Bellingham factory produced its first Orca battery module in November 22 and has already delivered several orders.
Source: Corvus Energy