ENGIE has commenced construction on one of Europe’s largest Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at its Vilvoorde site in Belgium. This milestone follows the project’s construction permit approval in July 2023 and its selection for capacity remuneration in October 2023.
The BESS Vilvoorde project, with an installed capacity of 200 MW on a 3.5-hectare site, will be able to store 800 MWh of energy in 320 battery modules measuring 25 m x 4 m x 3 m. The system will release stored energy to the grid over four hours, equivalent to 160,000 domestic 5 kWh batteries, covering the electricity consumption of 96,000 households. The battery park has a 15-year contract with Elia, the national grid operator.
The project will be launched in two phases, with the first 100 MW of batteries commissioned in September 2025 and the remaining 100 MW in January 2026. ENGIE is also developing two other BESS projects in Belgium, for which permits have already been obtained: Kallo (100 MW / 400 MWh) and Drogenbos (80 MW / 320 MWh).
BESS Vilvoorde aligns with ENGIE’s commitment to developing large-scale flexibility solutions, crucial for integrating renewable energy production. It will contribute to ENGIE’s goal of achieving 10 GW of installed battery capacity worldwide by 2030.
Sébastien Arbola, Executive Vice President in charge of Flex Gen & Retail activities, stated, “With the growing share of renewable energies in the energy mix, the contribution of Battery Energy Storage Systems to ensuring the reliability and security of energy systems is becoming crucial. Batteries will enable the absorption of peaks in renewable energy production and the release of this energy when production is lower and consumption is higher. These flexibility solutions will thus help accelerate the development of renewable energies and the energy transition.”
