Credit: Thierry Monasse via Getty Images.Sweco has announced that it will design the Green Turtle project in Belgium, which is set to become one of the largest BESS in Europe.
The Swedish engineering consultancy is designing the BESS facility for Dutch energy storage company GIGA Storage, the developer of the project.
According to Sweco, the battery park will make a significant contribution to Belgium’s energy mix by releasing stored renewable energy during times of low solar and wind generation.
The project is in line with Europe’s broader objectives of expanding BESS capacity. In July, renewable energy investment company Bluestar Energy Capital announced the launch of Noveria Energy, a project development platform focused on European BESS.
Sweco added that Green Turtle will also help reduce the country’s reliance on gas-fired power plants which, according to Power Technology’s parent company, GlobalData, make up the second largest share of power generation in Belgium at 24.19%, behind nuclear’s 40.7%.
The facility will have a capacity of 700MW and a storage capacity of 2.8 gigawatt-hours.
Construction is set to begin in 2025 and be completed by 2028.
Joeri Siborgs, general manager of GIGA Storage Belgium, said: “This is a flagship project for us in Belgium and an important project in realising the energy transition in Europe, where access to large-scale electricity storage plays a vital role.”
The Green Turtle site is a part of Europe’s wider objective to secure 42.5% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Last month, the European Commission approved €682m ($748m) in state aid to support Belgium’s offshore wind energy development, specifically to support the construction and operation of the country’s first offshore wind farm in the North Sea with an expected capacity of 700MW.
