Today, Chubu Electric Power issued a request for proposals (RFP) to companies interested in developing and operating grid-scale battery storage facilities on land leased from the company. In what is its third such RFP, it is looking for applicants interested in one or more of 23 sites with expected installation potential of approximately 82MW/246MWh.
The sites include mainly space available at substations but also the sites of other facilities the company no longer uses. About 75% of the sites are expected to be suitable for smaller, 2MW/6MWh BESS facilities. The remaining sites are estimated to be able to host one 4MW/12MWh, two 6MW/18MWh, one 8MW/24MWh, and one 20MW/60MWh facility.
According to the RFP, Chubu EPCO will accept proposals until July 31, 2025, and select winners in the second half of August 2025. In addition to the proposed lease rate, the company will also consider each proposal’s operation plan (space utilization and facility capacity, equipment selection, monetization plan, fundraising plan, etc.), construction plan including COD, environmental considerations, and the ability to respond to facility failures quickly.
Chubu EPCO expects the winners to apply for grid connection in the second half of September 2025, with the TSO’s response to be given by the end of the year. It then plans to start the contracting process in January 2026, approve grid connection in July 2026, finalize grid connection and land lease contracts including required initial payments in August 2026, and start grid connection-related construction for the projects in September 2026.
The company held the first two rounds in March and October 2024, respectively. In the first round, it offered six sites suitable for combined 40MW. In the second round, it offered seven for a total of about 24MW/72MWh including two plots (2MW/6MWh and 6MW/18MWh) that appear to have been unawarded in the first round.
Other utilities in Japan including Hokkaido Electric Power, Hokuriku Electric Power, and Shikoku Electric Power ran similar RFPs in efforts to secure balancing capacity amid an ongoing growth in non-dispatchable solar and wind capacity.
