EF Investment connected its first grid-scale battery storage project, a 2MW/8MWh facility in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, to the grid on January 7, 2026, the company announced on January 19, 2026.
According to the statement, the project is owned by the special purpose company (SPC) EF-BESS No. 1 LLC. It uses containerized Huawei BESS units and is expected to begin trial operation in May 2026. EF Investment will handle asset management.
The asset was developed and built by Nomuraya Holdings. EF Investment’s parent company Environmentally Friendly Holdings provided a 480 million yen loan maturing on March 31, 2029, to the SPC for the acquisition. The original developer continues to hold a 50% economic interest in EF-BESS No. 1 through a silent partnership (TK-GK).
The Environmentally Friendly Holdings unit plans additional high-voltage grid-scale battery storage facilities. In November 2025, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NH-Amundi Asset Management, granting the South Korea-based investment manager a two-month exclusive right of first refusal to provide financing for its projects.
Under the MoU, the companies also plan to explore launching a dedicated battery storage fund once their cumulative investments reach about 5 billion yen, equivalent to approximately ten 2MW/8MWh projects.
