Financial close for 600 MWh Belgian battery

Belgian utility Luminus has closed financing for the 150 MW/600 MWh BESS it is installing in the Wallonian region of Navagne.

Described as the largest BESS currently under construction in Wallonia, the project, near a hydroelectric station in Lixhe, is due for commissioning in October 2026.

Luminus, which has French state-backed energy giant EDF as its controlling shareholder, said the BESS would “mainly” use an existing connection to the electricity transmission grid operated by Elia.

The utility did not specify the amount of the finance package but said the Lixhe project was funded with the help of 14 B – The Belgian Infrastructure Fund. That €270 million ($311 million)-plus fund has commitments from Belgium’s sovereign wealth fund the Belgian Federal Holding and Investment Company; Belgian company AG Insurance; and the SYNATOM nuclear fuel company which has French-government backed energy company Engie as its leading shareholder.

Attending a ceremony held to lay the foundation stone of the project, earlier this month, Luminus CEO Grégoire Dallemagne said, “We are pleased to launch the construction of this large, 150 MW battery, which will provide flexibility to compensate for the intermittency of renewable energies and balance the supply and demand of electricity on the electricity grid … [Energy] storage is a major asset to promote the balance of the electricity grid, alongside the multiple solutions we offer, such as controllable production assets and encouraging our customers to consume energy at the best time, through our applications.”