Battery Tanker X (tanker)

2023: Tanker Announcement

On May 25, 2023, the Japanese startup PowerX announced the world's first tanker for transporting electricity by sea. The project was named Battery Tanker X.

The idea is to transport electricity from renewable sources from regions with an excess to areas where there is a shortage. Thus, the transition to carbon-neutral energy infrastructure can be accelerated. In addition, the efficiency of the use of renewable energy in general will increase.

Battery Tanker X

The first Battery Tanker X vessel is 140 meters long. It can carry up to 96 container batteries with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries with a total capacity of 241 MVt·ch. These units can withstand more than 6,000 charge/discharge cycles. The tanker architecture provides the ability to scale, which allows you to create larger ships - depending on the needs of the customer and the tasks being solved. The vessel is equipped with real-time battery monitoring facilities, as well as the necessary safety mechanisms, including a fire extinguishing system. All batteries will be manufactured in-house in Okayama Prefecture.

The Battery Tanker X power plant is powered by electricity. The range of the vessel is approximately 300 km, and in the future this figure will be increased. Decommissioned or inactive thermal power plants located near the ports are proposed to be converted into charging/discharging stations for battery tankers. This will allow the transfer of stored energy to consumers on land. As energy storage density increases and battery costs fall, it is expected that it will be possible to transport energy from offshore wind farms to land over long distances. Tests of the tanker will begin in 2026.^[1]

Notes