Imabari will bulild PowerX’s Project ARK

PowerX‘s Project ARK aims to build a power transfer vessel for offshore wind power by 2025.

At the beginning of December, PowerX has signed an agreement with Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd to focus on the development and production of the battery for the ship and electric cargo boat “Power ARK” and with the aim to build the Project ARK prototype ship by the end of 2025. Imabari has agreed to finance PowerX with 1000 M¥ (about 8.8 MUSD).

The main dimensions of the ship are Length: 100.5, Beam: 21.9m, Draft: 6.5 m. The power transfer vessels will be able to travel up to 300 km which enables access to more offshore locations with stronger winds and fewer restrictions.

The vessels will be powered by batteries and sustainable biodiesel fuel, which will allow long-distance travel.

PowerX will develop and manufacture the battery storage system and other battery-related systems to be installed on the prototype ship. Through this alliance, PowerX and Imabari Shipbuilding will leverage their respective expertise and strength to maximize the synergy.

The Power ARK will go into full-scale operation after testing with the prototype ship. Even with the smaller model (220MWh capacity), the Power ARK is expected to transport enough electricity for 209,000 Japanese households in just one single trip (assuming average Japanese household electricity consumption is 10 kWh per day). With the Power ARK project, PowerX aims to efficiently distribute renewable energy to regions with high demand, ultimately leading to the greater utilization of clean energy resources throughout the nation.