RWE has commissioned one of the largest German battery storage systems at the group’s Hamm and Neurath sites, with a total capacity of 220 MW.
The battery energy storage system (BESS) can reach its nominal capacity within seconds and provide power at that level for around one hour (235 MWh). RWE will make the electricity from the battery storage systems available on various energy markets. The system contributes towards stabilising the electricity grid through balancing energy markets.
The BESS comprises 690 battery cabinets with eight battery modules each, with 140 MW of capacity in Hamm and 80 MW in Grevenbroich-Neurath. In addition to the batteries, RWE has built the associated grid infrastructure. This includes high-voltage transformers as a connection point to the 110-kV grid.
Nikolaus Valerius, CEO RWE Generation SE, commented: “With the storage plants in Neurath and Hamm, we are commissioning one of the largest BESS in Germany. Our batteries complement the expansion of renewables which requires a growing number of large-scale BESS and further BESS are already in planning.”
Marc Herter, Lord Mayor of Hamm, added: “The commissioning of the large BESS at the Westfalen power plant site shows that Hamm continues to be a significant 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 future prospects in the post-coal era. With Germany’s largest BESS, RWE is taking an important first step in the right direction.”
Klaus Krützen, Lord Mayor of Grevenbroich, noted: “If we want structural change, we must supply new types of energy. Therefore, the BESS in Neurath is an important step towards structural change in the region. The RWE plant not only contributes towards stabilising the electricity grid, but also shows how innovative technologies are paving the way for an environmentally friendly and future-oriented energy supply. Investments of this type are essential in order to develop Grevenbroich and the Rhenish mining area into a 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. There is still potential for further development, especially in Hamm. RWE is planning to build further large-scale batteries on the site of its former Westfalen hard-coal power plant in Hamm-Uentrop.
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