![[L to R]: Chris Green, Washington State Department of Commerce Assistant Director for the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness; Elliot Smith, Director of real estate and properties, Port of Bellingham; and Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy. Photo courtesy Corvus Energy](https://images.maritimeprofessional.com/images/maritime/w600h400pad/chris-green-washington-state-department-132295.jpg)
As the maritime industry increasingly moves towards propulsion solutions that help cut emissions, battery technology is increasingly taking center stage on a number of ship, boat and offshore energy installations. Leading the charge are a number of battery manufacturers globally, including Norway’s Corvus Energy, which announced that the company is expanding its US operations by opening a new factory in the Port of Bellingham, Washington.
The U.S.-based manufacturing facility, starting with Corvus’ Orca battery, will have an annual capacity of 200 MWh of stored energy capacity, with the ability to double that capacity as demand grows, said Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy. It will support demand for marine BESS in the Americas as the marine industry accelerates its adoption of decarbonization technology to meet global GHG emissions reduction targets. “We see this as a start of a journey in United States,” said Bjørkeli. “We have seen a significant uptake in orders from the U.S. 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.”
There are many places to set up shop, but Washington state was seen as a “natural choice for Corvus,” said Bjørkeli, with its strong maritime heritage and the presence of a strong maritime cluster, the state’s focus on ‘green’ shipping and the locale’s proximity to the Corvus team domiciled in Vancouver, Canada.
“We know that a U.S. presence and close collaboration with shipyards, shipowners, Washinton 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.”
“Being local, contributing in the local society, we strongly believe in the cluster thinking. I'm sitting now in our office in Seattle, which is collocated with Washington Maritime Blue, where we are a funding partner”
The announcement of the signed agreement with the Port of Bellingham will be celebrated in advance of the Nordic Innovation Summit in Seattle, WA, attended by the Washington State Chamber of Commerce and Norwegian ambassador Anniken Krutnes.
The Orca battery. Photo courtesy Corvus Energy
