RWE advances 220-MW battery project in North Rhine-Westphalia

RWE AG (ETR:RWE) has taken a final investment decision on a 220-MW battery storage project that will be built at two power plants in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Essen-based power major will invest about EUR 140 million (USD 138.2m) to install 690 lithium-ion battery blocks at the sites of the power plants in Neurath and Hamm with a total capacity of 80 MW and 140 MW, respectively.

The project is still awaiting a building permit and construction is set to begin next year with commissioning scheduled for 2024.

The new batteries will be networked virtually with RWE’s German power plants to enable optimal management and provide balancing energy.

“This investment decision paves the way for a future-looking project that will set new standards in terms of size as well as intelligent networking. Our new battery storage system will optimise the utilisation of our German power plant fleet, and in tandem they will provide balancing energy,” said RWE Generation's chief executive Roger Miesen.

The new system is part of RWE's strategy to have 3 GW of battery storage by 2030. The group now has 150 MW/160 MWh of battery storage capacity in operation and is working on projects of more than 800 MW/1,800 MWh worldwide.

(EUR 1 = USD 0.987)

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