Engie starts building co-located solar-battery project in France

Engie has started construction of its first co-located solar and battery storage project in France. The Buisson solar park is being developed on a former quarry site in Saint-Jean-Froidmentel, in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

The project will cover 23 hectares and feature nearly 46,000 photovoltaic panels, with a total capacity of 29.8 MW. Its battery energy storage system (BESS) will have 20 MWh of capacity and be able to discharge at 8.8 MW for more than two hours.

The batteries will store some of the electricity generated during periods of abundant solar production and release it when grid demand is higher. The arrangement is intended to improve power-system flexibility and help align solar generation with periods when electricity is more useful to the grid.

Engie currently has 10.7 GW of energy storage capacity in operation or under construction worldwide.

Shared grid connection

The solar plant and battery system will share the same site and a grid connection approximately 11 km long to the local substation. According to the project description, sharing this infrastructure reduces connection requirements and associated costs while improving the project’s economic viability.

Construction began in September 2026 with earthworks and access roads. Work will continue with foundations, mounting structures and solar module installation, followed by the battery containers and electrical equipment. Connection to the public grid is planned for summer 2027, ahead of commissioning of the complete project in December 2027.

The project is expected to generate approximately €122,000 ($137,000) in annual tax revenue for local authorities. The municipality will also receive nearly €90,000 through Engie’s “Bon Énergie” scheme.

From pv magazine France