Belgium to get 2.8GWh grid-balancing BESS
Image of the new battery park ‘Green Turtle’. Image: GIGA Storage Belgium.
European engineering consultancy Sweco will design one of continental Europe’s largest battery parks, the Green Turtle park, for the energy storage company GIGA Storage Belgium.
The battery energy storage system (BESS) facility in Belgium will have a capacity of 2,800MWh of electricity and is expected to make a significant contribution to the energy grid by providing stored renewable energy during periods of low solar and wind energy production, reducing the country’s reliance on gas power plants.
Sweco, based in Sweden, will deliver the design of the civil engineering and electrical engineering works of the BESS. Construction is set to begin in the summer of 2025 with completion of the new battery park expected by 2028.
The planned Green Turtle battery park will have a capacity of 700MW, resulting in a storage capacity of 2,800MWh, which is equivalent to the average annual energy consumption of 385,000 households.
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Commenting in a release was Joeri Siborgs, general manager of GIGA Storage Belgium: “The agreement concluded with our contractors, including Sweco, to be GIGA Storage Belgium’s partner for the design of the Green Turtle battery park comprises an important milestone.
“This is a flagship project for us in Belgium and an important project in realising the energy transition in Europe, where access to large-scale electricity storage plays a vital role. Sweco has been selected as our partner for the integral design because of their solid expertise in battery energy storage systems (BESS).”
The battery park to be built in Dilsen-Stokkem will store surplus wind or solar energy as it is produced to make that renewable energy available on the grid during peak times.
In this way, the battery park makes more efficient use of renewable energy and prevents wind turbines and large-scale solar panel parks from being switched off to relieve the grid.
Said Erwin Malcorps, business area president of Sweco in Belgium: “By taking on the responsibility for the integral design of the Green Turtle battery park, Sweco will support GIGA Storage in laying the foundation for a resilient and sustainable energy system.
“In Belgium and across Europe, Sweco’s experts are heavily involved in the expansion of renewable energy and in the adaptation of power systems and electricity grids, to support clients in meeting new capacity requirements as electrification intensifies.”
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