Global energy company Total has selected technology firm AutoGrid to optimise its battery energy storage plant in France.

AutoGrid will provide its virtual power plant (VPP) platform AutoGrid Flex to deliver frequency regulation capabilities to Total’s 25MW/25MWh lithium-ion system at the Flanders Center in Dunkirk’s port district.

The project is Total’s largest battery-based energy storage project in France.

Using the VPP platform, Total will be able to take advantage of its energy storage system to ensure the stability of French power grid and to participate in Europe’s Frequency Containment Reserves (FCR) market.

The platform will enable Total to provide stability to the French power grid in real time (less than 500 milliseconds).

AutoGrid Flex will control the project’s end-to-end market reserve purchasing from Reseau Transport Electricité (RTE), the electricity transmission system operator of France.

The €15 million ($18.2 million) battery energy storage system is based on Saft’s Intensium Max 20 High Energy solution with 11 integrated 2.3MWh containers.

Total Flex will monetise capacity accounting for up to 3% of the French market (total size of 650MW).

Jean-Marc Simandoux, VP front office, trading division, gas renewables & power at Total, said: “Tapping the AutoGrid platform for this milestone project has allowed us to bring more flexibility on France’s power grid, enabling a more stable and reliable network, and opening up new opportunities in the FCR market.

“Our prior work utilising AutoGrid’s platform, and the company’s successful track record of project delivery on this project, assures us we’re tapping a power trading market-leading partner.”

Amit Narayan, founder & CEO, AutoGrid, adds: “We’re proud to provide the technical foundation for this pioneering deployment for the European grid and for batteries’ participation in frequency regulation markets worldwide.

“Working with an energy major like Total, provides significant thrust to our efforts of accelerating the deployment of storage and renewable energy across the globe.”

Total has also been a minority investor in AutoGrid through its corporate venture capital arm Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures since 2016.