Energy Vault and DG Fuels Increase Scope of Initial Energy Storage Project

Swiss-based energy storage leader Energy Vault has announced an increase in scope for its initial energy storage project with DG Fuels in Louisiana. 

As per the previous announcement in October 2021, Energy Vault and DG Fuels entered into an energy storage system agreement to support the production of green hydrogen for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) across three projects, which have an expected opportunity of up to $520 million in revenue.

According to the terms of the original agreement, Energy Vault agreed to supply 1,600-megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage to aid DG Fuels across three SAF projects, with the first project originally slated for 500 MWh in Louisiana.

In October 2021, Energy Vault invested alongside Black & Veatch and HydrogenPro AS in a financing round for DG Fuels to support its continued development of the first SAF project in Louisiana.

The increased scope of the Louisiana project was allowed for by joint Front End Loading (FEL2) engineering optimization between Energy Vault, DG Fuels, and its engineering partners.

This optimization translated into a system efficiency gain of approximately 14% fuel yield to 11,650 barrels per day and increased behind-the-meter electric power needs by an additional 50 MW (800 MWh). 

“This first-of-its-kind project is a game-changer for the production of sustainable aviation fuels and our EVx™ technology and energy management software platform, which will play a critical role in bringing the project to fruition with sustainable and economic long-duration energy storage,” said Robert Piconi, Chairman, Co-Founder and CEO, Energy Vault. “The partnership and collaboration with DG Fuels has been outstanding. The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and a critical segment that we are targeting globally in fulfilling our company mission of decarbonization. We are excited to play an important role here in supporting DG Fuels and their partners to enable the production of green hydrogen that supports the delivery of clean, sustainable fuel to the aviation sector.”