RWE starts building 220-MW battery storage system in Germany

June 1 (Renewables Now) - German energy major RWE AG (ETR:RWE) said on Wednesday it has begun the construction of a 220-MW/235-MWh battery storage facility at its power plant locations in Neurath and Hamm in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The facility will involve the installation of a total of 690 lithium-ion battery blocks.

The Essen-based power group is investing about EUR 140 million (USD 149.6m) in the project.

“As the proportion of renewables in the electricity mix increases, so does the need for flexible battery storage systems. They balance out fluctuations in the electricity grid in seconds, which means they are the key to a reliable electricity supply,” RWE Generation's chief executive Roger Miesen commented in the statement.

The storage system is scheduled to become operational in the second half of 2024. The plant will be taking excess power from the electricity grid and feeding it back into the system when required. The facility will also be deployed on the wholesale market. Electricity will be taken into the storage system if prices are low, and conversely will be fed into the grid when prices are high, RWE said.

About a month ago, the German energy major was awarded a 50 MW/400 MWh long-duration lithium-ion battery storage project in a renewable energy tender in New South Wales, Australia.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.068)