Battery Energy Storage System
- Location
- Ruien, Belgium
One of our Group companies, Nippon Koei Energy Europe B.V. (NKEE) and Aquila Clean Energy EMEA completed the construction of their battery energy storage system (BESS) located in Ruien, Belgium last year.
The BESS has already started commercial operations and the project is thus actively contributing to improving the stability of the Belgian high-voltage (HV) grid as well as operating in the short-term electricity markets. The plant is located on the site of a former 800 MW coal fired power plant and therefore constitutes a good example of how to drive the energy transition forward by embedding flexible BESS assets in a market with an already elevated penetration of renewables in the production mix. The project also highlights the importance of battery energy storage systems for the energy transition throughout Europe, as a decisive part of a future integrated European energy system.
The 25 MW/100 MWh grid-scale BESS in Ruien is one of the largest connected to the Belgian HV grid as well as one of the first four-hour long duration BESS units in the EU. It is one of the first projects of this type in Europe that meets all relevant ESG standards and has a strong focus on sustainable construction and operation.
