【SMM Analysis】TagEnergy Launches France's Largest Battery Energy Storage Project with a Capacity of 240MW/480MWh

TagEnergy, a renewable energy company based in Lisbon, Portugal, announced that it will develop and manage France's largest battery energy storage system (BESS) project—the Cernay-lès-Reims project, with a scale of 240MW/480MWh. The project is expected to achieve year-end grid connection in 2025, with an energy storage capacity nearly five times that of the largest currently operating battery in France.

Project Overview:
• TagEnergy will collaborate with Tesla, which will provide market access services and advanced energy storage solutions.
• The project is located in the city of Cernay-lès-Reims in the Marne department of north-east France.
• On-site activities began in April 2024, including archaeological surveys led by the Greater Reims Urban Community.
• Construction will commence in January 2025, with grid connection anticipated by year-end 2025.
• The BESS will be able to store approximately 20% of the residential electricity demand of the Marne department, which has over 500,000 residents.
• The project also includes a 225kV connection to the State Grid Corporation of China, managed by the French transmission system operator RTE.

The Cernay-lès-Reims project will help stabilize the power grid and provide critical capacity during peak electricity demand periods. Additionally, the project represents a key step in France's energy transition, aligning with the country's multi-year energy plan goals to increase wind capacity by 2.5 times and solar capacity by four times by 2035. TagEnergy is committed to deploying battery energy storage technology while accelerating the development of solar energy in France.

The project's financing comes from a consortium of banks, including ABN AMRO from the Netherlands, NORD/LB from Germany, and the French cooperative bank Caisse d’Epargne CEPAC.

Since its operations began in 2019, TagEnergy has had a presence in Portugal, France, Australia, Spain, and the UK. The company is controlled by TagHolding, a joint venture of Impala SAS Group, Exor N.V, and TagTeam Holding, the latter being the holding company of TagEnergy's managing shareholders. Other shareholders include Mirova and Omnes. According to its website, TagEnergy has over 6GW of operational assets globally.

TagEnergy's CEO Franck Woitiez stated, "We are proud to announce this flagship project in France, which comes just weeks after the first phase of connecting the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia and the largest transmission-connected battery in the UK." He also mentioned the company's project in Yorkshire, UK, which became operational in October with a capacity of 100MW/200MWh.

TagEnergy's Managing Partner for France, Christophe Léonard, described the Cernay-lès-Reims project as a pivotal moment in France's energy transition. He emphasized that as demand-side flexibility and battery energy storage become cornerstones of the energy transition, TagEnergy is dedicated to deploying this technology.