ICYMI…We’re pleased to share this exciting news from the Port of Bellingham and their partners. Commerce provided support to the Port from the state’s economic development strategic reserve fund to assist with building renovations to accommodate Corvus Energy’s first U.S. manufacturing facility.
Whatcom County, WA –The Port of Bellingham (Port) is excited to announce that Corvus Energy has chosen Whatcom County to expand its US operations and open a new factory. Corvus Energy is the leading supplier of battery energy storage systems (BESS) for marine applications. The US-based manufacturing facility, located in Bellingham, WA, with an annual capacity of 200 MWh of stored energy capacity, will support demand for marine BESS in the Americas as the marine industry accelerates its adoption of decarbonization technology to meet global GHG emissions reduction targets.
“Congratulations to the Port of Bellingham and Corvus Energy on the new facility here in Washington. Corvus continues to thrive as a global leader in the sustainable transition of the maritime industry and I am pleased that they’ve chosen Washington as their first location in the US,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “This is a great chapter in the ongoing partnership between Washington and Norway on combatting climate change and bringing to reality the green jobs of the future.”
Corvus Energy and the Port of Bellingham are both founding members of Washington Maritime Blue, a strategic alliance formed to implement Washington State’s Strategy for the Blue Economy. This partnership-based organization has led several delegations to Norway to engage with the Norwegian national and local governments, industry leaders, and other innovation cluster organizations in the maritime sector.
In September 2019, Don Goldberg, Director of the Port of Bellingham’s Economic Development Division, joined the second delegation and met leadership from Corvus Energy. Upon return to the United States, he continued to try to recruit Corvus to Whatcom County and kept them updated as industrial properties that might suit their expansion needs became available. Corvus Energy noted, “Support from the Port of Bellingham in identifying a location was outstanding, they went above and beyond to help us in the site selection process. Knowing that we had strong, long-term partners that would support our growth plans made the final decision to expand easy.”
The market for Corvus’ products is quickly expanding in the United States. Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy explains, “We have seen a significant uptake in orders from the US market as well as a growing commitment from the government and industry players on reducing GHG emissions. Increased capacity and production flexibility will be key to meeting anticipated growth. The US factory, along with a more robust sales and service organization, will ensure that we can meet American shipowner’s goals and market demand, providing better services to the US maritime industry.”
“Washington state was a natural choice for Corvus due to the presence of a strong maritime cluster, the state’s focus on green shipping, and the proximity to our large team near Vancouver, Canada,” Bjørkeli remarks. “We know that a US presence and close collaboration with shipyards, shipowners, Washington Maritime Blue and other suppliers and service providers foster innovation across the entire industry and build valuable competence. This will work as an accelerator to create local, green jobs.”
“The Port is proud to welcome Corvus Energy to Whatcom County’s strong and dynamic working waterfront,” said Port Executive Director Rob Fix. “There is growing national and international demand for clean energy maritime solutions and Corvus Energy is well positioned for collaboration and growth as the newest member of our maritime community.”
To assist in the setup of the new facility, the Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded the Port a $250,000 strategic reserve fund (SRF) grant to support updating the building to suit Corvus’ needs. This is the fifth SRF grant that the Economic Development Division at the Port has secured since 2019, totaling $1,000,000 to assist the recruitment, retention, or expansion of businesses in Whatcom County.
“We are delighted to welcome Corvus Energy to Washington State, and congratulate the Port of Bellingham on this important partnership,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown. “Looking beyond our borders to join with global leaders like Corvus Energy is a key element of our strategy to grow strong, diverse regional economies through innovation.”
Josh Berger, President and CEO of Washington Maritime Blue echoed this sentiment. “As a founding member of Washington Maritime Blue, we are thrilled to see Corvus Energy grow right here in our region. As a statewide innovation cluster organization committed to accelerating a sustainable and equitable Blue Economy, we are building a center of excellence for maritime decarbonization and their expertise will help us implement the type of collaborative joint innovation needed for our clean energy transition.”
“Coordination and collaboration between the Port of Bellingham, Maritime Blue, and the Washington State Department of Commerce is what ultimately brought Corvus Energy, a global leader in maritime energy storage systems, to Whatcom County,” said Don Goldberg, Director of Economic Development at the Port, “and we are so excited to welcome them.”
###
About the Regional Economic Partnership
The Regional Economic Partnership (REP) at the Port of Bellingham is the economic development division for the Port of Bellingham and serves all of Whatcom County. REP is funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce, Whatcom County, the Port of Bellingham, and the City of Bellingham. The goal of REP is to retain and attract livable wage jobs and to assist businesses, entrepreneurs, and local organizations to thrive. The group works intensively with local and regional partners to create a resilient community and economy for all and to address the magnitude of COVID-19 impacts. The team has expertise in financing, planning, research, real estate, and technology for the purpose of helping businesses start, develop, and grow throughout Whatcom County, Washington. For more information about the Regional Economic Partnership, please visit www.portofbellingham.com/154/Economic-Development
About the Port of Bellingham
The Port is a county-wide municipal corporation with a mission to promote sustainable economic development, optimize transportation gateways, and manage publicly owned land and facilities to benefit Whatcom County. Throughout Whatcom County, the Port owns, operates and maintains approximately 1600 acres of property including a shipping terminal, a cruise terminal, two marinas, industrial development areas, commercial uplands, parklands, shoreline public access areas and an international airport. For more information about the Port of Bellingham, please visit https://www.portofbellingham.com/
About Washington Maritime Blue
Washington Maritime Blue is a non-profit, strategic alliance formed to accelerate innovation and sustainability in support of an inclusive blue economy. With a mission to implement Washington State’s Strategy for the Blue Economy delivered by Governor Jay Inslee’s Maritime Innovation Advisory Council, we are a partnership between industry, public sector, research & training institutions, and community organizations. Maritime Blue works to create a world-class, thriving, equitable, and sustainable maritime and ocean industry through knowledge sharing, joint innovation, entrepreneurship, commercialization, business and workforce development. For more information, please visit https://maritimeblue.org/
About Corvus Energy
Corvus Energy is the leading supplier of energy storage systems (ESS) for maritime, offshore, subsea and port applications. Corvus Energy offers a full portfolio of ESS suitable for almost every vessel type, providing high power energy storage in the form of modular lithium-ion battery systems. The purpose-built, field-proven battery systems provide sustained power to hybrid and all-electric heavy industrial equipment, including large marine propulsion drives. Corvus Energy has unsurpassed experience from 500 projects, totaling over 400 MWh and more than 3.5 million operating hours. The company also develops maritime hydrogen fuel cells in collaboration with world leader in fuel cell technology, Toyota. For more information, please visit www.corvusenergy.com