Eneco contracts compressed air energy storage

Dutch energy supplier Eneco has contracted with Corre Energy for the full capacity of its proposed compressed air storage (CAES) project near Groningen.

The proposed facility at Zuidwending, about 35km southeast of Groningen, will utilise salt caverns for the storage of compressed air to provide a full compression capacity of 220MW and production capacity of 320MW.

With this and thanks to its flexibility, Eneco can contribute to the balance on the electricity grid.

At times of surplus sustainable production, the electricity can be stored in the form of compressed air with up to 220MW.

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When there is a shortage on the electricity grid, the installation will use the compressed air to produce electricity, with the 320MW capacity able to supply to the grid for up to 3.5 days.

“Through the collaboration with Corre Energy, Eneco is taking another big step towards the sustainable energy system of the future through the flexible capacity that their installation can offer,” the company’s chief strategic growth officer, Kees-Jan Rameau says.

“The storage capacity also contributes to solving congestion problems and thus paves the way for even more sustainable energy for our customers. It is therefore an important step for the ambition in our One Planet Plan: climate neutral by 2035, together with our customers.”

Groningen based Corre Energy specialises in compressed air energy storage, a form of long duration storage. The company’s first projects are located in the northeast Netherlands and in Northern Jutland in Denmark and there is an ambition to develop projects in Germany.

In 2023, an exploratory drilling will place at the location in Zuidwending to confirm its suitability for compressed air storage.

With the go ahead, the salt caverns and the associated above-ground installation, including buildings, would probably be ready from the end of 2026.

In order to realise the project, Corre Energy is working on the contracts with suppliers, the financing, the permitting and agreements on network tariffs.