LONGER LEAD TIMESLarge-scale battery projects to store energy on grids and to smooth out the variance of wind and solar power are also seeing longer lead times. They are taking around 12 to 18 months to complete, around six months longer than they would take without the supply issues, said Andrew Waranch, chief executive of battery energy storage system developer Spearmint Energy. Utility AES Corp (AES.N) has stockpiled supplies of the equipment it needs to build battery storage projects through 2025, a company spokesperson said. A shortage of raw materials that has contributed to transformer supply delays is unlikely to ease soon, manufacturers said. The supply-demand dislocation has worsened with the rapid scale-up of wind, solar and storage projects.

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Persons: Nick Oxford, Vanessa Witte, Wood Mackenzie, Ben Pratt, Pratt, we've, Reagan Farr, Farr, Andrew Waranch, Waranch, Marco Terruzzin, Doug Banty, Banty, John Darby, Nicole Jao, Simon Webb, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, AES, Nova Clean Energy, Silicon, Spearmint Energy, Developers, American Clean Power Association, U.S . Energy Information Administration, AES Corp, MGM, Niagara, Thomson Locations: Big Spring , Texas, U.S, Chicago, Swiss, China, California, Russia, Ukraine, New York