Wärtsilä’s decision to launch a strategic review of its energy storage & optimisation (ES&O) business, including potential divestment, may be because of its dilutive effect on the broader company’s margins, an analyst told Energy-Storage.news.

The renewable energy IPP arm of UK utility SSE is to start building a 320MW/640MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), which could be the largest under-construction in the country.

Power technology firm Wärtsilä has initiated a strategic review of its energy storage and optimisation (ES&O) business, with “all potential alternatives considered” including divestment.

Substantial growth in China’s domestic energy storage market has led to locally-based players Sungrow and Hyperstrong becoming top five system integrators globally, S&P Global Commodity Insights said.

System integrator Wärtsilä has signed an MSA with Eve Energy while peer Powin is targeting 5GWh of US-made BESS equipment in its supply chain by 2025.

Independent power producer (IPP) Clearway Energy has closed US$421 million in financing for the 147MW/588MWh four-hour Rosamund Central Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Kern County, California.

Wärtsilä has revealed details of fire testing its large-scale battery storage product was put through, which the company claimed went beyond commonly accepted requirements.

Work is set to begin “within weeks” on a BESS project at the site of a coal power plant in New South Wales, Australia.

The new investment tax credit (ITC) for standalone energy storage means some US developers are opting to overbuild systems instead of augmenting them further down the line.

Energy technology firm Wärtsilä completed a 125MW/250MWh battery storage project for REV Renewables in California in time to help CAISO deal with record heatwave conditions in September 2022.