Corvus Energy cut the ribbon on its new maritime battery plant in Fairhaven, Washington last week, which is meant to support rising demand for low and zero-emission vessels in the U.S.
The Norway-based energy storage company said the facility, located at the Port of Bellingham, will play a key role in its U.S. expansion plans.
“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,” said Corvus CEO Geir Bjørkeli in a statement. “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.”
The Bellingham plant will manufacture modules for the company’s Corvus Orca maritime batteries, according to the release. The facility produced its first Orca battery module in November, and has already delivered several orders.
As of last May, Corvus said its energy storage systems were deployed in more than 30 vessels in North America. In November, Corvus announced plans to supply the containerized version of its Orca battery for use in the first all-electric tugboat in the U.S., adding that its shoreside charging infrastructure will be introduced in San Diego’s harbor this year.
Corvus has been growing its U.S. operations as the shipping industry accelerates its decarbonization efforts to meet GHG emissions reduction targets adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2018.
“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,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a speech at the facility’s opening ceremony. “Bringing Corvus Energy to Washington state is a step in the right direction.”
