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Who applies for a new connection for a business expansion now often gets a sobering answer: the waiting list can take years. Companies that want to make themselves more sustainable or expand get stuck because the electricity grid is reaching its maximum capacity. New machines, additional charging stations or a heavier connection simply no longer seem possible in many places.
A part of the solution must now come from just across the border. In Rotem, Belgium, the ground will be broken this summer for the construction of giant battery Green Turtle. Plans for large-scale electricity storage are also ready in Maasbracht, although construction has not yet started there.
The seriousness of the situation in Limburg became clear again last month when grid operators warned that from 1 July even small-scale consumers may face waiting lists if they want to upgrade their connections. Although TenneT released about 70 megawatts of incidental transmission capacity as recently as April, the pressure on the Limburg power grid remains high.
Giant battery
In Rotem, just over the border near Dilsen-Stokkem, construction of Green Turtle will start this summer. The project will have a capacity of 700 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 2,800 megawatt hours (MWh). This makes it among the largest battery projects in Europe. The plant is scheduled to be fully operational by 2028.
Although the battery is on Belgian soil, it also has significance for Limburg. Indeed, high-voltage substation Van Eyck near Kinrooi is an important link between the Belgian and Dutch power grids. Large batteries can store excess power at times when a lot of solar or wind energy is available and feed it back later when demand rises. In doing so, they can help to better handle peak loads on the power grid.
Joeri Siborgs, General Manager of GIGA Storage Belgium, calls the project important for the region. "With this project, we are contributing to security of supply in Belgium and neighbouring countries. It is a crucial step to keep the energy transition affordable and reliable."
Maasbracht also in the picture
Plans for large-scale battery storage are also underway in Maasbracht. GIGA Storage wants to bet on 300 MW capacity and 1,200 MWh of storage there. The plans are still at the licensing stage, but are extremely serious. The location near Maasbracht is considered strategic because of the presence of important TenneT connections. Together with expansions of the high-voltage substations in Maasbracht and Einighausen, the batteries should contribute to extra space on the power grid for companies and logistics centres in Central Limburg.
The large-scale storage projects will not solve grid congestion all at once. This will also require new cables, heavier stations and expansion of the power grid. Nevertheless, batteries are becoming increasingly important to better match power supply and demand.
For Limburg entrepreneurs, who are increasingly running up against the limits of the power grid, the projects in Rotem and Maasbracht are therefore more than just futures. They count as one of the concrete steps to make the regional power grid less vulnerable in the coming years.
Source: Undernemen in Limburg