Energy storage | EASE guidelines on safety
The recently launched EASE (European Association for Storage of Energy) Guidelines on safety best practices for battery energy storage systems are designed to support the safe deployment of outdoor, utility-scale lithium-ion (Li-ion) BESS across Europe.
As the EU strives for climate neutrality by 2050, the need for safe and reliable energy storage has grown significantly. In 2024, Europe had some 35 GW (cumulative) of installed electrochemical storage capacity, reflecting the rapid expansion of
battery energy storage systems and their crucial role in the global energy transition. Ensuring these systems meet the highest safety standards in design, development, installation, and maintenance is essential to support this growth. The EU Batteries Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542) requires that stationary BESS be safe during normal operation and use. In response to these requirements, the EASE document outlines safety guidelines specifically for outdoor, utility-scale lithium-ion BESS. It does not address
other types of batteries (eg, redox flow batteries) which have distinct risk profiles. The focus is on systems with a maximum DC voltage of 1500 V or a maximum AC voltage of 1000 V and an energy storage capacity exceeding 20 kWh. The guide, reviewed by EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), highlights recognised industry best practices for demonstrating safety compliance, focusing on product safety (Chapter 2), site safety (Chapter 3), and personnel safety (Chapter 4).
Intensium®
Flex aims for best-in-class safety
Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has extended its energy storage system (ESS) offering with the launch of Intensium® Flex (I-Flex). It provides compact building blocks rated at 3.4, 4.3 or 5.1 MWh for the creation of energy storge systems up to the GWh scale.
Based on Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cells, I-Flex is a high energy, liquid-cooled, fully integrated system engineered to ensure high levels of safety and operational reliability under intense use conditions.
Saft’s Intensium Flex battery containers can be connected in parallel, in configurations providing from 2 to 8 hours storage. Thermal insulation allows back-to-back and side-by-side installation, significantly reducing footprint.
The current DC version is compatible with multiple power conversion systems, while
the future AC version will integrate DC to AC conversion within the same enclosure, further optimising footprint and simplifying on-site installation and commissioning.
A key feature of Intensium Flex is its enhanced thermal management that enables a 300% daily energy throughput even with the highly compact assembly of the battery modules. This is made possible by the efficient cooling system and the battery management module, together with a powerful, integrated heat exchanger cooling circuit. The focus on maintaining temperature homogeneity across the battery modules is critical to ensure system performance and a long service life. After a decade of field experience and in the light of the challenges posed by ever-increasing energy density and new standards, I-Flex sees implementation of a new holistic safety concept
designed to prevent fire, toxic gas emissions and explosions.
It is factory-assembled, tested and certified ready for delivery to site as a plug and play energy storage system that ensures best- in-class safety, in line with future NFPA 8551 requirements.
Intensium® Flex. Photo: Saft
Second mtu EnergyPack for Zeewolde
Rolls-Royce is supplying a second mtu EnergyPack large scale battery energy storage system to Zeewolde in the Netherlands. Starting in 2026, the new mtu EnergyPack will help increase grid stability by storing electricity generated by the local wind farm and feeding it back into the grid as needed. Energy
infrastructure
developer Eleqtis B.V. has commissioned Rolls-Royce to supply, install and maintain the system, which will have a power output of 35.1 MW and a capacity of 144.4 MWh. The contract also includes a ten-year-long term service agreement, which offers “extensive guarantees for the
customer,” says Rolls-Royce. For example, the system’s capacity will be guaranteed throughout the entire term.
The facility is designed for the provision of grid-critical services such as frequency regulation, peak shaving and short-term trading.
Eleqtis focuses on creating flexible, future- proof power systems, including large-scale battery storage, grid connections, and renewable energy assets.
It will work with Catalise Energy, which will deploy its Revenue Guarantee Model, part of a comprehensive suite of services that ensure revenue certainty for developers, investors, and financiers in the global energy storage market.
Zeewolde mtu EnergyPack installation. Image: Rolls-Royce 24 | June 2025|
www.modernpowersystems.com
In Autumn 2025, the first mtu EnergyPack at Zeewolde, Battery Park Zeewolde (BPZ), will go into operation. Rolls-Royce mtu EnergyPacks employ nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium- ion batteries.
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