GIGA Storage, Dutch provider of sustainable energy storage solutions, will start with the construction of GIGA Buffalo, the largest battery project in the Netherlands, in January 2022. The successor of the GIGA Rhino will have a capacity of 25 MW and a storage capacity of 48 MWh. The battery is scheduled to be operational after the summer and will be leased to Eneco on a long-term basis.
GIGA Storage already announced in June this year that it was making preparations for the realisation of the energy storage system. Meanwhile, the financing for the project has been arranged. The financial sponsors for this project are Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund, who are acquiring a majority stake in Giga Buffalo, and Rabobank. Triodos also financed the GIGA Rhino battery in 2020.
“With the financing of Giga Rhino, Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund financed its first utility-scale battery system 1.5 years ago. The good cooperation with Giga Storage and Rabobank has given us the confidence to take the next step with an investment in Giga Buffalo, the most powerful battery in the Netherlands. With the realization of this battery, Giga Storage is once again achieving an important milestone in the Dutch energy transition.”
Vincent van Haarlem, Fund Manager of Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund
6 times more capacity than GIGA Rhino
With the GIGA Buffalo battery, it is possible to balance the demand for and supply of green energy. In addition, more green energy can be fed to the electricity grid and the battery contributes to reducing congestion.
The capacity of the GIGA Buffalo will be more than six times larger than the GIGA Rhino battery, GIGA Storage reports. The amount of energy that can be stored annually in the battery is comparable to the annual energy consumption of over 9,000 households. This makes it the largest utility scale Lithium-ion energy storage system in the Netherlands.
Deployment by Eneco
Construction of the battery will start in January 2022. The Buffalo battery will be installed at the location at the test center of Wageningen University & Research in Lelystad. The battery is connected to and part of Windnet’s smart grid and is directly connected to the Mammoettocht and Neushoorntocht wind farms.
The energy storage project will be operational after the summer of 2022. From that moment on, GIGA Buffalo will save up to 23 thousand tonnes of CO₂ per year, according to GIGA Storage.
Eneco will lease the battery from GIGA Storage for a long period and use it for its energy services. GIGA Buffalo is mainly used for forecasting errors in supply and demand of energy on the intraday trading market. Source: GIGA Storage
