RWE is to construct three new battery parks in Germany with a total installed capacity of around 600MW.
The new battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be built on the site of the Westfalen power plant in Hamm.
RWE has invested a multi-million euro sum for the construction of the battery sites, which will have a storage capacity of 1.2GWh.
The systems can generate their maximum output for up to two hours at a time. Together with the battery storage system that went into operation in February, the site in Hamm will have a storage capacity of 1.35GWh in future.
This would be enough to charge more than 23,000 average electric cars.
RWE Generation SE chief executive Nikolaus Valerius said: “With the expansion of renewable energies, the need for technologies that can instantly counteract imbalances in the electricity grid is increasing.
“Battery storage systems are ideal for this because they are fast and efficient. The massive expansion of our storage capacity at the Westfalen power plant will make Hamm the battery storage flagship location of Germany.
“Our facilities will make an important contribution to stabilising the energy market by efficiently storing surplus energy and feeding it into the grid in a targeted manner – with a dampening effect on electricity prices for consumers and industry.”
Together, the three planned battery fields will cover an area of more than six hectares. RWE will install more than 25,000 lithium-iron batteries (LFP) in 316 overseas containers.
Mayor of the city of Hamm Marc Herter said: “The energy transition in Germany needs secure storage capacities and Hamm has a key role to play in this.
“The additional large-scale battery storage facilities on the site of the Westfalen power plant in Uentrop will ensure that the grid remains stable and short-term fluctuations can be balanced out cost-effectively.”
By using state-of-the-art control technology and super-fast inverters, the new battery storage systems can provide balancing power within milliseconds, according to RWE. This system service is referred to as instantaneous reserve or inertia.
Inertia has mainly been provided by rotating masses of turbines, traditionally from coal-fired power plants, but the number of rotating generators is falling due to the rise in renewables.
However, battery energy storage systems can compensate for this loss of inertia.
Initial preparatory construction activities are underway, with the new battery systems scheduled to go into operation between 2026 and 2028.