Corvus Energy to Set Up Washington State Battery Factory to Meet Growing Demand for Zero-Emission Vessels

Norwegian marine battery maker Corvus Energy has announced plans for a new battery factory in the state of Washington to meet the growing demand for hybrid and zero-emission ships in the United States.

The new manufacturing facility will be located just north of Seattle at the Port of Bellingham and have an annual capacity of 200 MWh of stored energy capacity, which will support demand for marine battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the Americas as the maritime industry looks to decarbonize 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,” said Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy.

With more than 600 projects under its belt, Corvus Energy is a leading supplier of BESS for marine applications with existing battery factories in Bergen, Norway and Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It also has a large sales and service network serving Europe, North America and Asia.

The company says Washington was a “natural choice” for its new factory due to the state’s strong maritime cluster, focus on green shipping, and proximity to its large presence in Vancouver, Canada. The company signed its agreement for the factory with the Port of Bellingham in advance of the Nordic Innovation Summit in Seattle, WA, attended by the Washington State Chamber of Commerce and Norwegian Ambassador Anniken Krutnes.

“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,” said Bjørkeli.

According to Corvus, forecasts are predicting a huge increase in demand for maritime energy storage systems, with estimates calling for an $800 million market in 2030.

Corvus Energy Storage Systems are already deployed on more than 30 vessels in North America, as well as 29 hybrid port cranes and 11 land-based drilling rigs. The company has recently seen increased demand in the tug industry.

To that end, Corvus is involved in the first all-electic tug projects in both the U.S.A. and Canada; the HaiSea Marine tugs serving the LNG export terminal in Kitimat, B.C. and the Crowley e-Wolf currently being built at Master Boatbuilders to serve the port of San Diego.

“We expect continued strong growth in all market segments, in particular: offshore wind and O&G support vessels, tugs and workboats, Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferries, tour boats and passenger ferries, and coastal and inland cargo vessels,” the company said in its announcement.

“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,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee.   “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.”

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