Scottish energy storage firm Gravitricity has revealed its blueprint for Europe's inaugural full-scale gravity energy storage facility, to be established at one of the continent's deepest mines near the town of Pyhajarvi in central Finland.
In collaboration with local regeneration company Callio Pyhajarvi, Gravitricity aims to repurpose a 530-meter (1,740 ft) deep auxiliary shaft into a full-scale prototype showcasing Gravitricity's technology, boasting up to 2 MW of storage capacity. The project is set to connect to the local electricity grid, offering balancing services to the Finnish network.
Callio Pyhajarvi, established by the local community, focuses on promoting regeneration projects at the disused zinc and copper mine, owned by Canada's First Quantum Minerals.
Gravitricity's energy storage system, known as GraviStore, operates by elevating and lowering heavy weights within underground shafts.
Executive Chairman of Gravitricity, Martin Wright, stated, “This full-scale project will provide a pathway to other commercial projects and allow our solution to be embedded into mine decommissioning activities, offering a potential future for mines approaching the end of their original service life.”
Gravitricity anticipates support from its partners, including Swedish-Swiss energy technology company ABB, leveraging its mine hoist expertise, and Dutch winch specialists Huisman.
