NHOA Energy and ENGIE have announced plans to develop a new 80 MW/320 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at ENGIE’s Drogenbos power station near Brussels.
The project, which marks a continuation of the two firms’ strategic partnership in Belgium, will represent ENGIE’s third large-scale battery asset in Belgium. NHOA Energy was granted the contract by ENGIE for the supply, commissioning and long-term service of the system.
‘Flexible energy generation’
“With this new battery park, we are strengthening our current position as the Belgian reference in flexible energy generation and storage,” commented Vincent Verbeke, CEO of ENGIE Belgium.
“It is no coincidence that flexibility is one of the three cornerstones of ENGIE’s strategy in Belgium, alongside renewable energy and smart customer solutions. The flexible storage capacity of batteries will play a key role in tomorrow’s energy system: by balancing supply and demand, they support the electricity grid and help us make optimal use of the available renewable energy.”
The announcement follows on from Belgium’s recent Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) auction, the country’s fifth overall, in which the Drogenbos project secured a contract running for fifteen years, commencing in November 2027.
The BESS system will use NHOA Energy’s NHEXUS platform, and will include 88 battery containers capable of providing up to 4 hours of discharge, corresponding to the daily electricity demands of around 38,000 households.
It has been ‘designed to deliver essential flexibility services to the Belgian grid, enabling greater integration of renewable energy and supporting grid stability at national level,’ the groups said in a statement.
Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in March of next year, with full commissioning expected by September 2027. Once operational, NHOA Energy will manage the facility under a long-term service agreement.
‘A landmark project’
“We are proud to return to Drogenbos, the site of a pilot system we commissioned with ENGIE back in 2018, this time to deliver a landmark project for Belgium’s energy transition,” added Lucie Kanius-Dujardin, global managing director of NHOA Energy.
“With Drogenbos, we bring to the country another multi-hour storage system powered by our proprietary NHEXUS BESS platform and engineering expertise, reinforcing our position as a long-term partner for the development of flexible and resilient power systems.”
Elsewhere, NHOA Energy is also working with ENGIE on the development of a separate BESS system in Belgium, the 400 MWh Kallo project. Read more here.
