ESTOR-LUX battery park inaugurated

Bastogne, 26 April 2022 – EStor-Lux, the first battery storage park connected to the Belgian high-voltage grid, operational since December 9, has been officially inaugurated today in Bastogne.

The ceremony, which gathered about 100 decision-makers from the Belgian energy sector, was attended by Tinne Van der Straeten, Federal Minister of Energy, Willy Borsus, Vice-President and Walloon Minister of Economy, Philippe Henry, Vice-President and Walloon Minister of Climate and Energy, and Benoît Lutgen, Mayor of Bastogne.

After a brief presentation of the project’s specifics and its economic and environmental benefits, Bruno Vanderschueren, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the EStor-Lux consortium (SRIW, Ackermans & van Haaren, CFE, BEWATT, SOCOFE, IDELUX, SOFILUX) explained that the project owes its success to four main factors: the increasing development of renewable energies and the resulting need for flexibility, the evolution of the battery technology (more efficient, cheaper and more sustainable), the favourable developments of the federal and regional regulatory frameworks and the quality of the partners involved in the project (Kyndryl, Fluence, Centrica Business Solutions, Triodos Bank).

• 480-module lithium-ion battery park
• Installed capacity of 10 MW
• Storage capacity of 20 MWh
• 1st battery storage installation connected to the Belgian high-voltage grid of Elia
• Largest active battery site in the Benelux in terms of storage capacity
• One of the first battery installations in Europe to offer a long storage duration (+/- 120 minutes,
  i.e. 2 to 4 times more than most existing systems)
• Unsubsidised investment, financed up to 50% by a non-recourse bank loan (project finance)
• Since its launch:
  • 30,000+ MWh of balancing capacity provided to Elia
  • 10.2 MW of average balancing capacity made available to the grid
  • 40,000 tons of CO2 saved, compared to what would have been supplied with equivalent capacity by gas power plants