Nala Renewables starts building 25-MW/100-MWh BESS in Belgium

Nala Renewables announced that it has launched the construction of a 25-MW/100-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Belgium, its first project of this kind and one of the largest batteries in the country.

The lithium-ion BESS will be built in Balen, Belgium’s Flemish region, at a zinc smelting plant operated by multi-metals company Nyrstar NV (EBR:NYR). The system is due to come online by the end of 2022, Nala Renewables said.

Nala developed the EUR-30-million project (USD 33.1m), to which the Flemish government contributed EUR 1 million.

"The international energy crisis and Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine make it clearer than ever that we need to invest heavily in clean energy production close to home in order to reduce our dependence on foreign countries. Unfortunately, renewable energy is not available every minute of the day, so it is crucial to provide for its storage,” Zuhal Demir, the Flemish minister of energy and environment, said at the sod-turning ceremony.

Nala Renewables is a joint venture between global investment manager IFM Investors and Trafigura Group Pte Ltd, the Singapore-based commodities trader that also controls Nyrstar.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.104)

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