German municipal utility Westfalen Weser has announced plans to build a 120-MW/280 MWh battery storage facility at the site of a former nuclear power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Wuergassen industrial area, where the facility will be located, is considered ideal for battery storage due to its existing substation and power lines from the former nuclear plant.
The battery storage system is expected to enhance the stability of the grid supply. The investment for the project is estimated at approximately EUR 92 million (USD 99.76m), with completion scheduled for the second half of 2026.
Juergen Noch, Managing Director of Westfalen Weser, highlighted the utility's investment in energy storage as a means to ensure a secure and efficient power supply amidst the growing share of renewable energy generation.
Grid or system-friendly storage systems play a crucial role in energy and load management, bridging the gap between the increasing volatility of generation and consumption. As of 2023, Germany had a grid and system-friendly storage capacity of 1 GWh. Studies suggest that this capacity could increase to up to 130 GWh within the next decade, according to a statement from the city of Beverungen.
