ENGIE and NHOA Energy Break Ground on 400 MWh Battery Project in Belgium
KALLO, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NHOA Energy, the global provider of utility-scale energy storage systems, today celebrated with ENGIE the groundbreaking of a 400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Kallo, Beveren, Belgium. The project will be delivered by NHOA Energy to ENGIE under a supply contract and a long-term service agreement.
The ceremony held this morning in the presence of Mathieu Bihet, Federal Minister of Energy, Marc Van de Vijver, Mayor of Beveren, Vincent Verbeke, CEO of ENGIE Belgium, and Lucie Kanius-Dujardin, Global Managing Director of NHOA Energy, marked the official start of construction on ENGIE's battery park.
This comes after the selection of ENGIE in the 4th Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) auction by the Belgian grid operator, Elia.
The CRM was set up by the Belgian government to address the anticipated shortage of installed power capacity, partly due to the planned partial phase-out of Belgian nuclear plants in 2025. This project in particular will play a key role in supporting the region's energy transition while also repurposing the former Kallo power plant, which operated on natural gas and fuel oil until its closure in 2011.
NHOA Energy's European power electronics and engineering capabilities, developed in almost two decades of energy storage field experience, will guarantee the performance, resilience and cybersecurity of the Kallo BESS which, once operational, will supply energy for up to four hours, meeting the electricity needs of over 48,000 households.
'It is with great pride that we are launching the construction of this battery park in Kallo today, together with the Minister of Energy, the municipality, and our valuable partners. This is ENGIE's second large-scale park in Belgium, a project that can only be realized through close cooperation with all of them. By developing this additional flexible capacity, we are contributing to the optimal use of wind and solar energy and meeting the needs of the electricity grid,' commented Vincent Verbeke.
' We are proud to once again join forces with ENGIE, reinforcing our mutual dedication to expanding battery energy storage solutions across Europe. This partnership to support the Belgian grid operator, Elia, underscores the essential role of energy storage in enabling the transition toward a more sustainable and resilient energy system, ' commented Lucie Kanius-Dujardin.
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