July 17, 2025: Sumitomo Electric said on July 15 it had received its third consecutive order for long-duration redox flow batteries from a utility in Japan.

The RFBs will be supplied to Kashiwazaki IR Energy, as part of efforts to ramp up renewables and promote energy decarbonization projects in the city, which is home to petroleum and civil nuclear facilities.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Sumitomo said construction officially began on July 10 with a groundbreaking ceremony.

This third order will bring the total supplied battery capacity to 24,000 kWh, including two systems already constructed, Sumitomo said.

The flow batteries will store power from solar plants and be discharged to support the grid during peak demand periods.

Additionally, by utilizing a large-capacity battery of 1,000 kW for eight hours in combination with power trading on the wholesale electricity market, the flow batteries will also contribute to cost reduction.