RWE is further expanding its global battery storage business. The company has now started construction of its first large-scale Dutch battery storage project with an installed capacity of 35 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 41 megawatt hours (MWh).
A total of 110 lithium-ion battery racks will be installed at RWE's biomass power plant in Eemshaven. This will be done on an area of about 3,000 square metres. The battery storage project is planned to provide controllable power and operate in wholesale markets from 2025.
Fluctuating electricity production
The battery project is an important step towards a portfolio of innovative, flexible energy sources. This is needed to optimally integrate fluctuating electricity production from wind power into the Dutch energy system. The wind energy comes from the offshore wind farm "OranjeWind" currently under development.
System integration
In 2022, RWE managed to secure the realisation of this offshore project off the Dutch coast with a blueprint for full system integration combining wind energy with green hydrogen generation and other innovative solutions such as battery storage.
First large-scale battery storage project
Roger Miesen, CEO RWE Generation and Country Chair of Benelux: "I am very proud that we have now started construction. RWE's first large-scale battery storage project in the Netherlands is a big step towards a reliable electricity supply in an increasingly green national energy system. In this way, we are actively contributing to (further) stabilising the Dutch electricity grid."
800 electric vehicles
The battery storage system can operate for more than an hour with the installed capacity of 35 MW. In theory, this is enough to charge around 800 electric vehicles. The system is designed to be virtually cross-technology linkable with RWE's power plants in the Netherlands. This enables optimal management of energy, which can be supplied by selected units individually, or as a group.
Europe, Australia, US
Driving the energy transition, RWE develops, builds and operates battery storage systems in Europe, Australia and the US. It currently operates battery storage systems with a total capacity of around 700 megawatts. It also has more than 1 gigawatt of battery storage projects under construction worldwide. RWE plans to expand its battery storage business to six gigawatts worldwide by 2030.
Mega battery
In early 2023, RWE commissioned its first megabattery in Lingen and Werne (both Germany). This with a capacity of 117 MW. A 220 MW project is currently under construction at two sites in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2023, the company acquired UK solar and battery developer JBM Solar. This company has an advanced battery project development pipeline of 2.3 gigawatts.
Big, bigger, biggest
RWE plans, builds and operates innovative combined solar and storage plants at its German opencast sites. The company has also won the tender for a long-life battery storage system (50 megawatts / 400 MWh) in Australia. In the US, the company has its first large-scale battery storage system connected to the California grid in 2023. Fifth Standard's 137 MW facility - so far the company's largest storage facility in the US - is linked to a 150 MW solar PV plant in Fresno County, California.
Source and image: RWE
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