Ford Energy said on May 18 that it signed a five-year framework agreement with EDF power solutions North America, opening the door for as much as 20 gigawatt-hours of its DC Block battery energy storage systems over the life of the deal. The agreement gives the EDF Group unit the ability to procure up to 4 gigawatt-hours a year.
The new contract gives Ford Energy a sizable customer just months after Ford announced the venture in December. Ford created Ford Energy to help use the full capacity of new factories in Kentucky and Marshall, Michigan, after demand for electric vehicles slowed and left more room than expected in plants that had been intended to make EV batteries.
Ford Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford, and the company said the Marshall plant is already making EV batteries and will also produce smaller energy storage systems for residential use. The DC Block itself is a 20-foot containerized system with a rated capacity of 5.45 megawatt-hour per unit. It uses lithium iron phosphate prismatic cells and comes in two-hour and four-hour discharge configurations for utility uses such as frequency regulation and voltage support.
Lisa Drake said Ford Energy was not simply delivering hardware, but the kind of predictable quality and long-term operational confidence that grid operators and large-scale developers require. She also said the venture was purpose built for customers who cannot afford uncertainty in their energy storage supply chain.
Tristan Grimbert said supply chain reliability and product quality are paramount, and added that Ford Energy’s commitment to domestic manufacturing and its approach to traceability and lifecycle support fit the standards across his portfolio. He said the framework agreement gives his team the supply visibility and product confidence needed to move at the pace the energy transition demands.
EDF power solutions North America is part of the EDF Group, a French government-owned multinational electric utility company focused on low-carbon electricity, with particular emphasis on nuclear and renewable energy. Battery storage systems like the DC Block are large batteries used by utilities and data centers to store energy for later use, helping stabilize the grid and avoid blackouts.
Jessica Enoch said, “We're not sharing terms of the framework and purchase commitment agreement.” That leaves the commercial details behind the deal unclear even as Ford Energy secures a notable foothold in a market built on long supply chains, tight specifications and confidence that the batteries will arrive when promised.
