RWE has finalised its investment decision for a 220-megawatt (MW) battery storage project in Germany, where a total of 690 lithium-ion battery blocks are to be installed at RWE’s power plants in Neurath and Hamm in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. Construction is scheduled to start in 2023, with commissioning planned for 2024.
The new system is designed to react within seconds, delivering the required output for over an hour. This allows the system to contribute to the efficient stabilisation of the grid with a reliable power supply. The unique feature of the system is that the new battery is networked virtually with RWE’s German power plants, which enables optimal management in terms of which unit efficiently provides balancing energy, either individually or as a group, and when. RWE leverages its energy storage technical capabilities by providing detailed project design, modelling, system integration and commissioning.
Roger Miesen, CEO of RWE Generation, said: “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.”
Lars Kulik, member of the board of RWE Power, said: “Against the backdrop of structural change, this group-wide joint project will enable traditional power plant sites to contribute to the energy supply of the future once they have been fitted with state-of-the-art storage technology and innovative networking systems.”
RWE plans to implement this storage project at existing power plants to maximise the synergistic effects across technologies. The batteries can be installed in areas that are already available, utilising existing grid infrastructure to feed energy in and out.
In Neurath, batteries with a total capacity of 80 MW are to be installed on an area of around 7,000 m², which is the equivalent of about one football pitch. Batteries with a total capacity of 140 MW are to be installed in Hamm at the Westfalen power plant, covering an area of 14,000 m². The company plans to use brand new lithium-ion batteries which are installed in cabinet form, and delivered as prefabricated modules.
Battery storage systems are an essential part of the energy transition because they store the leftover electricity resulting from overproduction in the grid and make it available again when it is needed. RWE currently operates a total installed battery storage capacity of approximately 150 MW (160 MWh) and is executing battery storage projects of more than 800 MW (1,800 MWh) worldwide. RWE has the ambition to build three gigawatts of batteries by 2030.
