Engie’s 400 MWh Belgian battery taking shape

French state-backed utility Engie has broken ground on the second of the battery energy storage systems (BESS) awarded it by Belgian grid operator Elia under a national plan to procure more grid electricity.

Elia awarded the contract for the 100 MW/400 MWh BESS near the village of Kallo, in the fourth round of Belgium’s CRM, a procurement program introduced by the government because of the planned decommissioning of nuclear power plants this year.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the BESS – to be constructed at a former natural gas and fuel oil plant which closed in 2011 – was attended by Belgian energy minister Mathieu Bihet.

The site, in the former municipality of Beveren, will supply electricity for more than 48,000 households, according to Italian energy storage developer NHOA Energy, which is delivering the project for Engie under a supply contract and long-term service agreement.

Vincent Verbeke, CEO of ENGIE Belgium, said, “It is with great pride that we are launching the construction of this battery park in Kallo … together with the minister of energy, the municipality, and our valuable partners. This is Engie’s second large-scale park in Belgium, a project that can only be realized through close cooperation with all of them. By developing this additional flexible [grid] capacity, we are contributing to the optimal use of wind and solar energy and meeting the needs of the electricity grid.”

Engie was also awarded a 200 MW/800 MWh BESS in Belgium under the CRM program. An initial, 100 MW BESS was due to be installed by September last year in Vilvoorde, north of Brussels, with a second 100 MW phase due in January. That site is based at an Engie gas plant and the French utility is also developing an 80 MW/320 MWh BESS in Drogenbos, in Belgium’s Flemish region.