On Thursday, 6 October, Rob Jetten, Minister of Climate and Energy, opened the largest battery in the Netherlands. GIGA Storage developed the battery, with a power of 25 MW and a capacity of 48 MWh. Eneco will lease the battery on a long-term basis to support its sustainable portfolio.
This battery, which has been named GIGA Buffalo, enables further integration of renewable generation assets into the electricity market. By connecting batteries at strategic locations to the Dutch electricity grid, more sustainable capacity can become available to both parties that want to generate energy and also energy consumers (industry and residential areas).
Reduce congestion on the power grid
To match the supply and demand of electricity and supply electricity when there is insufficient solar and wind production, gas and coal-fired power plants are currently mainly used. Sufficient GIGA Batteries can reduce the use of gas and coal-fired power plants for a large part of the year, thus providing substantial CO₂ reductions in addition to reducing gas consumption. Compared to a gas power plant, the GIGA Buffalo project alone saves 8,532 tons of CO₂ emissions per year, GIGA Storage said.. The GIGA batteries thus sustainably stabilize the power grid and, with their efficiency, ensure that the energy transition remains affordable.
Collaboration
This project was made possible due to the good cooperation of many parties. Participants in the realization included Eneco (tenant of the battery capacity), Wärtsilä (battery supplier), Equans (technical service provider), K. Dekker (construction contractor), Smartgrid Flevoland (the local network), Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund and Rabobank (the investors and financiers).
“Our goal is to contribute to switching off gas and coal-fired power plants faster. Batteries can take over the balancing role and at the same time help local parties to be connected to the electricity grid. By realizing energy storage projects at strategic locations, we want to make a difference in the energy transition.”
Ruud Nijs, CEO of GIGA Storage
Source: GIGA Storage
