Eneco has announced a major battery energy storage project in Wallonia, Belgium, which when complete is set to become the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) in the region. The company has partnered with Tesla for the project, which aims to address the challenge of fluctuating electricity supply from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
The project involves the installation of 53 Megapacks in Ville-sur-Haine with a total energy capacity of 50 MW and storage capacity of 200 MWh. The BESS will provide flexible power storage, enabling the balancing of the power grid by offering reserve capacity when needed. It will also be capable of supplying power to the grid for up to 4 hours.
The battery project will take advantage of solar and wind energy, contributing to a more sustainable and reliable energy system.
“We are strengthening our activities in the field of sustainable energy in order to contribute to lower CO2 emissions. Energy storage is of great importance to absorb the fluctuations of sustainable energy. This project is an important step for us towards a CO2-neutral energy system ,” said Tine Deheegher, manager Renewable Energy Solutions at Eneco.
Enerco is no stranger to the country’s renewable energy sector, already operating 128 onshore wind turbines and installing nearly 400,000 solar panels.
Eneco’s BESS project aligns with the company’s One Planet Plan, which aims for a climate-neutral target by 2035. The company intends to expand its storage capacity further in Belgium and other countries where it operates, suggesting more significant partnerships with Tesla in the future.
“It will not stop with this project. To make the One Planet Plan possible, Eneco wants to expand more storage capacity, both in Belgium and in the other countries where we are active. This is just the beginning. Several hundred MW will follow in the coming years,” Deheegher said.
Tesla’s Megapack is gaining in popularity around the world. The company recently stopped producing the Megapack at Giga Nevada, switching to its new Megafactory in Lathrop, California which has a 40 gigawatt-hour (GWh) annual capacity. That capacity will soon double with the addition of another Megafactory in China. Tesla has no plans to stop there with CEO Elon Musk saying more Megafactory locations will be announced soon.
