Engie has submitted planning permit applications for three new battery storage projects in Belgium, totalling 380MW. The sites in Kallo, Drogenbos and Vilvoorde are owned by Engie and have the necessary space, facilities and possible connections to the high-voltage grid.
The French developer said it studied various locations in the country for feasibility, with the three sites emerging as the most suitable for developing new battery projects. The largest storage system could be located on the Vilvoorde site, with a capacity of no less than 200MW.
These batteries could also provide power for four hours, which amounts to 800 megawatt hours (MWh) or equivalent to 160,000 home batteries that can cover the electricity consumption of 96,000 families.
Elsewhere, the Kallo site could offer opportunities to develop a new 100MW facility, which could also provide power for four hours and amounts to 400MWh or equivalent to 80,000 home batteries that can cover the power consumption of more than 48,000 families.
The Drogenbos site is expected to house an 80MW storage project and will feature lithium-ion batteries which will be able to provide power for four hours.
This is equivalent to 320MWh or 64,000 five kilowatt hour home batteries which, when fully charged and in the same time, can cover the power consumption of 38,400 families.
Engie Belgium chief executive officer Thierry Saegeman said: “ENGIE not only wants to maximize its share of renewable energy in Belgium, but also provide the necessary solutions and flexibility to allow the penetration of these increasingly intermittent energy sources into the grid. Relying on the combined knowledge and expertise of Laborelec, the research center of ENGIE, our engineering office Tractebel and our classic and renewable energy teams, we want to become a major player in local energy storage.”