Australian start-up Green Gravity and Romania's Complexul Energetic Valea Jiului SA (CEVJ) have entered into a cooperation framework agreement to study the application of Green Gravity's gravitational energy storage technology in 17 mine shafts across four mining operations in Romania's Valea Jiului region. The announcement was made on Friday.
The collaboration aims to investigate the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of converting CEVJ's existing coal mines into energy storage facilities. It will also explore the potential benefits and challenges associated with integrating the energy storage capacity with the power grid and renewable energy sources.
Mark Swinnerton, CEO of Green Gravity, believes the project “has the potential to transform Romania's coal sector into a renewable energy storage hub, creating jobs, growth, and innovation.” He emphasized that the successful implementation of gravitational energy storage in Valea Jiului could serve as a model for transitioning coal mining regions.
Green Gravity's technology focuses on providing economic long-duration storage of renewable energy while minimizing costs by repurposing existing mining assets and avoiding the use of water, land, and chemicals.
Eusebiu Durbaca, Managing Director of CEVJ, stated that the project aligns with the company's strategy to diversify its energy portfolio and explore new opportunities for value creation from its coal assets.
