Engie breaks ground on 800 MWh battery in Belgium

French electric utility Engie has launched construction works on one of Europe’s major battery energy storage systems (BESS) at its Vilvoorde gas power plant site, located north of Brussels.

Once delivered, the 200 MW/800 MWh Vilvoode BESS project will occupy a 3.5-hectare site and feature 320 battery modules measuring 25 m x 4 m x 3 m. The battery park has a 15-year contract with Elia, the national grid operator.

“[The site] has ample space and excellent electrical grid connectivity,” said Quentin Renoy, BESS Business Developer at Engie Belgium.

This milestone follows the project’s construction permit in July 2023 and its selection for capacity remuneration in October 2023. Following the last year’s auction, Belgian authorities said that Engie’s 796 MW gas power plant in Vilvoorde would serve as a backup plant for an initial three years, and extendable thereafter given “the current limitations of green energy capacities.”

Engie described this as “a double success within the CRM framework,” which ensures a future for its site in Belgium.

The Vilvoorde BESS project will be launched in two phases, with the commissioning of 100 MW of batteries in September 2025, and a further 100 MW in January 2026.

Engie is also developing two other battery storage projects in Belgium, for which the group has already obtained permits: in Kallo (100 MW / 400 MWh) and in Drogenbos (80 MW / 320 MWh).

The developments in Belgium will contribute to Engie’s goal of achieving 10 GW of installed battery capacity worldwide by 2030. As of December 31, 2023, Engie had 1.3 GW of battery capacity in operation and 3.6 GW secured under development.