RWE has commissioned one of Germany’s largest battery energy storage systems (BESS), with a total capacity of 220MW.
The BESS at the group’s Hamm and Neurath sites can reach its nominal capacity within seconds and has a storage capacity of 235 megawatt hours (MWh).
The storage system comprises 690 battery cabinets with eight battery modules each, with 140MW (151MWh) of capacity in Hamm, and 80MW (84MWh) in Grevenbroich-Neurath.
In addition to the batteries, RWE also built the associated grid infrastructure.
This includes high-voltage transformers as a connection point to the 110kV grid.
Chief executive of RWE Generation SE Nikolaus Valerius said: “With the storage plants in Neurath and Hamm, we are commissioning one of the largest battery systems in Germany.
“Our batteries perfectly complement the expansion of renewables which requires a growing number of large-scale energy storage systems.
“Further battery storage systems are already in planning.”
Lord Mayor of Hamm Marc Herter said “The commissioning of the large battery storage system at the Westfalen power plant site shows that Hamm continues to be a key energy location in the region.
“Our existing high-performance grid infrastructure and Amprion’s new electricity highway, including the large ‘green power socket’ at the Uentrop site, are proof of the area’s excellent future prospects in the post-coal era.”
Klaus Krützen, Lord Mayor of Grevenbroich said the battery storage system in Neurath was “an important step” towards structural change in the region.
“The RWE plant not only contributes towards stabilising the electricity grid, but it also shows how innovative technologies are paving the way for an environmentally friendly and future-oriented energy supply,” he said.
“Investments of this type are essential in order to develop Grevenbroich and the Rhenish mining area into a leading technology and business location.”
The availability of suitable sites and proximity to grid connection points played a key role in the selection of the location.
RWE says there is still significant potential for further development, especially in Hamm.
The company is planning to build further large-scale batteries on the site of its former Westfalen hard-coal power plant in Hamm-Uentrop.