Elpress Authorized partners – Where reliability is built.
As battery energy storage systems (BESS) continue to expand across Europe, the reliability of electrical terminations becomes increasingly critical. High currents, rapid charge–discharge cycles and confined installation environments place significant demands on every connection point within the system.
In 2025–2026, E-Tech Components supported a UK-based 50 MW / 56.2 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project by specifying and supplying Elpress AKK Al–Cu bimetallic cable lugs as the termination solution for the installation.
As an Authorized Elpress partner in the UK, E-Tech worked closely with the client to identify a connection system capable of delivering safe, repeatable and long-term reliable aluminium-to-copper transitions throughout the facility.
The BESS site provides rapid-response flexibility to support renewable energy integration into the 132 kV network, using modular lithium-ion battery containers combined with Power Conversion Systems (PCS) and LV/MV distribution panels.
The project also highlights how Elpress Authorized Partners contribute to complex electrical infrastructure projects, combining local application knowledge, product expertise and service capability to ensure correct product selection, tooling and installation practices.
The client’s challenge
The project required a termination solution capable of delivering reliable performance in a high-duty BESS environment, while also supporting efficient installation across multiple battery containers.
Key concerns included:
- Reliable aluminium-to-copper transitions across battery racks, PCS units and LV/MV distribution equipment
- Aluminium conductor creep and joint degradation caused by 20–60 °C temperature variations inside containerised BESS units during rapid charge and discharge cycles
- The risk of corrosion, hot joints and premature failures where terminations are poorly specified or inconsistently installed
- Mechanical vibration from HVAC systems, inverter switching and transport
- Maintaining installation speed within a fast-paced modular project schedule
- Terminations for flexible aluminium conductors requiring tight 90-degree bends without introducing mechanical stress
Industry experience indicates that more than 60 % of electrical failures inside BESS containers originate at termination points, often caused by poor torque control, mixed-metal corrosion, inferior bimetallic connections or thermal hotspots.
Meeting the requirements for grid-scale BESS
Electrical terminations in large-scale battery facilities must comply with demanding international standards such as IEC 61238-1, BS 7609 and BS 7727.
Recent incidents at UK BESS facilities, including the Liverpool BESS fire (2020) and the East Tilbury / Thurrock BESS fire (2025), have further highlighted the importance of robust electrical terminations. Investigations frequently examine connection points and balance-of-system components as potential contributors to heat generation.
Lithium-ion battery fires can behave differently from conventional electrical fires, with prolonged burn times and the risk of re-ignition. Emphasizing the importance of robust termination design and preventative engineering.
Beyond compliance,
the solution selected for the project needed to provide:
- Secure and durable Al–Cu interfaces in a high-current inverter-driven environment
- Resistance to galvanic corrosion and long-term degradation
- Fast, repeatable installation across a large modular facility
- Compatibility with constrained termination geometries
- Technical expertise ensuring correct connector selection, tooling and installation practices
Why the client chose E-Tech
The client selected E-Tech Components for its strong technical expertise in cable accessories, its long-standing partnership with Elpress and its practical, hands-on project support.
By working closely with the project team, E-Tech ensured:
- Correct specification of Elpress AKK Al–Cu bimetallic cable lugs
- Compatibility with both stranded and solid aluminium conductors
- Availability of key product sizes from stock
- On-site installation support and tooling demonstrations
- Installer guidance to minimise installation errors
- Lifecycle support through E-Tech’s Authorised Elpress Service Centre, including tool calibration, maintenance and certification
Through this approach, the client gained confidence in the safety, efficiency and long-term reliability of the BESS installation.
The solution: Elpress AKK bimetallic cable lugs
Based on the project requirements, E-Tech specified two-hole Elpress AKK Al–Cu bimetallic cable lugs as the preferred termination solution.
The connectors are manufactured using precision friction welding, creating a homogeneous metallurgical bond between aluminium and copper. This design provides excellent pull-out strength together with strong resistance to corrosion and vibration.
When installed with Elpress-approved tooling, the connectors deliver repeatable, specification-compliant crimps suited to demanding electrical environments.
In this installation, the compact palm geometry of the AKK connectors proved particularly important. In the confined LV/MV assemblies, larger round-palm bimetallic lugs would have created clearance challenges. The AKK design enabled safe phase spacing, improved cable routing and full insulation coverage.
The aluminium conductors were terminated using indent crimping with matched matrix and punch tooling in a two-crimp sequence, creating a high-pressure gas-tight joint that:
- ruptures aluminium oxide layers
- mechanically interlocks conductor strands to reduce creep
- maintains stable contact resistance under thermal cycling and vibration
Project facts
Project type: Grid-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
Location: United Kingdom
System capacity: 50 MW / 56.2 MWh
Grid connection: 132 kV network
Technology: Lithium-ion battery containers with PCS and LV/MV distribution
Specified by: E-Tech Components
Connection solution: Elpress AKK Al–Cu bimetallic cable lugs
Installation method: Indent crimping with matched Elpress tooling
Standards referenced: IEC 61238-1, BS 7609, BS 7727
Project outcome
By combining E-Tech’s technical project support with Elpress AKK bimetallic connectors and matched tooling, the installation achieved:
- Reliable connections across battery racks, PCS units and LV/MV systems
- Fast and repeatable crimping supporting the project timeline
- Accommodation of tight bend radii without introducing mechanical stress
- Cost savings through aluminium conductor adoption
- Stable electrical performance under high currents, vibration and thermal cycling
By eliminating a known aluminium termination failure mechanism during installation, the connection system is designed to remain electrically stable throughout the operational life of the BESS facility.
This reduces the need for mid-life inspections, re-torque programmes or corrective maintenance while lowering the risk of thermal incidents and unplanned downtime.
What this project shows about Elpress Authorized Partners
Projects like this BESS installation demonstrate the value of combining engineering-grade connection technology with local technical expertise.
Through its partnership with E-Tech Components, Elpress technology could be specified, delivered and installed with the level of precision required for critical power infrastructure.
Elpress Authorised Partners play a key role in this process. They provide the local application knowledge, product expertise and service capability needed to translate engineered connection solutions into reliable real-world installations.
By supporting customers with correct product selection, matched tooling, installer guidance and lifecycle service, partners ensure that electrical connections are installed exactly as intended — safe, repeatable and built for decades of operation.
For Elpress, this project illustrates how secure electrical connections are created not only through product design, but through collaboration between manufacturers, partners and installers working as one system.
In modern energy infrastructure, reliability is built connection by connection.
Elpress Global Distribution.
Global reach. Local expertise.
Elpress supports customers worldwide through a strong and carefully selected network of subsidiaries and authorised partners, ensuring local expertise backed by global engineering standards.
Through this network, customers gain access to:
- Local technical support and application expertise
- Specified and verified connection solutions based on System Elpress
- Availability of products close to the project
- Training, installation guidance and certification
By combining global product development with local presence, Elpress ensures that critical electrical connections are delivered and installed with the same level of quality, regardless of market or application.
