LS Electric has successfully secured two Energy Storage System (ESS) power plant Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contracts in the UK, becoming the first corporation from Korea to do so. The company's technological prowess and experience, built since its entry into Japan in the 2010s, played a crucial role. LS Electric has previously completed Japan’s first ESS-linked hybrid solar power plant and grid-connected ESS projects.
Japan rapidly expanded its solar power scale following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. During this process, the demand for ESS also increased. However, the Japanese power market has been dominated by local corporations such as Mitsubishi and Sanyo, with strict quality regulations creating a high barrier for foreign corporations.
In 2011, LS Electric became the first foreign brand to successfully obtain certification from the Japan Electrical Safety and Environment Technology Laboratories (JET), paving the way for its local entry. Unlike other countries, Japan imposes high standards for seismic, impact, and fire safety on power-related equipment due to earthquakes. To gain JET certification, it is necessary to meet specific requirements that do not exist in the United States, the European Union, or Germany, making it one of the most challenging certifications to attain in the world.
Having obtained JET certification, LS Electric successfully completed the construction of the Chitose solar power plant in Hokkaido, Japan, in 2017, covering an area of 1.08 million square meters (approximately 327,000 pyeong). This is Japan’s first ESS-linked hybrid solar power plant, where electricity generated is stored in the ESS and sent to the grid when the central power supply is insufficient.
Building on the success of the Chitose power plant, LS Electric expanded its presence in Japan by pursuing various projects. In 2022, it secured the first grid-connected ESS project in Japan in Sapporo. Here, alternating current (AC) electricity from one grid is converted into direct current (DC) for storage and then transformed back into AC matching the frequency and voltage of another grid when needed. It was noted that the fact that a Korean corporation won Japan’s first grid-based ESS project for power market transactions surprised many locally.
Peter Dove, CEO of Solos Power, LS Electric's partner in the UK, said, "LS Electric has ample global business experience and has adapted well to the regulations and methods in the UK based on that experience."