Meanwhile Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest suppliers of electricity and heat, is preparing to open a major battery park in Waddinxveen. This facility will be the largest of its kind in the southern part of the Netherlands. The energy corporation plans for this facility to come online in the first half of 2026. This step further demonstrates their focus on a renewable energy-based solution.
Vattenfall has near 21,000 employees. Over the next few years, the company plans to bring online up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of large-scale battery capacity. The new energy storage facility will have a strong capacity of 100 megawatt-hours (MWh). It will work under an eight-year, performance-based contract to help Vattenfall better control and maximize the value from its energy production.
This facility will interconnect with Tennet’s high-voltage grid. This critical connection is what allows for efficient distribution of the energy being produced. Vattenfall has entered into an agreement with Return to carry out the day-to-day operations of the new battery compound. This move will increase the company’s renewable electricity portfolio tenfold.
Honey Duan, Vattenfall’s manager for external battery storage systems, said initiatives like this are crucial for developing a flexible energy market.
“Flexible storage systems are becoming increasingly indispensable for a stable, fossil-free and efficient energy supply.” – Honey Duan
Duan went on to discuss how large-scale battery systems are playing an important part in the energy transition.
“Large-scale battery systems serve the energy transition and play their part in realizing our goal of enabling fossil freedom.” – Honey Duan
Vattenfall just took final investment decisions for its Nordlicht 1 & 2 offshore wind farms. These projects will be built 85 kilometers north of Borkum, Germany and are a perfect complement to the introduction of this battery park. This strategic alignment underscores Vattenfall’s focus on advancing its renewable energy development expertise. It further meets the growing need for flexible energy solutions that can react quickly to changing conditions.
Duan emphasized the benefits of combining the new battery facility’s operations to Vattenfall’s existing automated trading flows. We expect this move is going to bring significant impacts.
“We will integrate the battery into our automated trading processes, thereby reducing costs for imbalances and balancing energy in our portfolio and allowing us always to provide flexibility where it brings the greatest benefit to the electricity market.” – Honey Duan