Flexbase, Erne to build 500 MW redox flow battery in Switzerland

Swiss IT, communication and energy consultancy and services firm FlexBase Group has teamed up with local construction group Erne to build an over 500 MW redox flow battery storage system combined with a data centre for artificial intelligence in Laufenburg, Switzerland.

Erne Group has been awarded a contract to realise the project. Construction is planned to begin in the spring of 2025.

The project is expected to create several hundred new jobs and training positions for specialists at the Laufenburg site.

The planned technology centre will utilise a building previously used by power transmission system operator Swissgrid. The building will serve as an operational hub.

Opposite the hub, a new building will house the storage facility which FlexBase claims will be the largest redox flow battery in the world. The technology is designed to be sustainable, non-flammable, non-explosive, and recyclable, the company said.

The waste heat generated by the planned data centre will be used for the district heating network of Laufenburg. The hub will be equipped with a photovoltaic system covering over 8,000 square metres.