![Infographic about NextFloat Project securing EIA approval for a Mediterranean offshore test site, listing milestones and an 8.5 MW deployment.]](https://www.powerinfotoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/nextfloat-project-218x150.webp "NextFloat Project Secures EIA Approval for Mediterranean Test Site")
Southern Company recently joined with industry researchers to launch the Energy Storage Research Center, a unique research and development (R&D) facility focused on the development and deployment of next-generation energy storage technologies.
Located on the engineering campus of Southern Research in Birmingham, Alabama, the project is a collaboration between Southern Company, Alabama Power, Southern Research, the Electric Power Research Institute, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the state of Alabama.
“As an R&D leader, Southern Company continues to advance technologies that can help us better meet customers’ needs in the rapidly evolving energy landscape,” said Southern Company R&D Director Roxann Walsh during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week.