Thanks to an investment from French company InfraVia, Dutch battery manufacturer Giga Storage can start its battery project in Delfzijl and install Europe's largest battery in the Flemish region of Dilsen-Stokkem.
The battery in Delfzijl will be the largest in the Netherlands with a capacity of 300 MW. The Belgian plant is good for 600 megawatts, which can provide electricity to 330,000 households, says CEO Ruud Nijs. The total investment guarantee for the two projects amounts to one billion euros, and for Belgium alone 650 to 700 million euros. “It's great that we have now got the green light. Such a version as in Belgium has not yet been done on this scale,” says the businessman.
The company purchased the site in Flemish Limburg from the Bode family, who owned the zinc factory, and obtained a permit. In Belgium, battery projects have so far produced 150 megawatts. In the Netherlands, Giga Storage has built batteries in Flevoland, Rotterdam and Emshaven.
Al Dail Factory
The company from Amstelveen had previously acquired the site and power cable for the Aldel zinc smelter in Groningen for €12 million. It expects to store a lot of electricity there in 2027 if permits are granted. It would then become the largest in the Netherlands.
The goal is to load as much green energy as possible from the wind turbines into the batteries, for optimal use later. “The problem with power grids that consume wind turbine power is the diversity of supply, which is where batteries can provide stability. Demand for batteries is growing,” says Neges.
With the installation of the first battery, a 12 MW Rhino battery, the most powerful battery in the Netherlands has already been built at the test center at Wageningen University in Lelystad in 2020. This could be done with funds from a group of early investors through the brokerage of ABN Amro Bank, In which the French InfraVia Capital Partners fund was willing to invest.
Expansion plans in Germany
Negus says that thanks to a group of investors, he has sufficient capital to implement all investment plans for the next two years, amounting to 2 billion.
“Just like in Belgium, we have several projects underway in the Netherlands, and we want to expand in Germany,” says the businessman.
“There are still huge opportunities across Europe now that network congestion is an issue. In the Netherlands more than in the rest of Europe, they also have to expand there because the current network capacity is not enough. Investing in the Netherlands is relatively expensive compared to surrounding countries due to transportation costs that “In Belgium, it's zero, which makes a big difference,” The Hague imposes.
He believes that the plans of the new government in the Netherlands are positive. “There is room for investment. I often say superficially that own energy first is very important. It is a shame not to use your own sun and wind, and to become dependent on other countries for your energy. If you want to assert this independence, now you need the big batteries “I see a lot of room for that in the coalition agreement.”
Need time
To reduce the loss of charged energy, Giga storage units must be located no more than three kilometers from the power station. Nijs: “It seems that it is not easy to find such sites in a densely populated country like the Netherlands. This is not a bad thing, it just means that it could take years.”
Expansion is possible in Germany and discussions are ongoing. But the company has to work with three different network administrators.
