TotalEnergies is building a second Belgian battery park

After the start-up of a first battery park near its refinery in Antwerp, TotalEnergies will build a second unit in Feluy. The French energy group is investing 50 million euros in energy storage in Belgium.

TotalEnergies

last year began building a 25 megawatt (MW) battery park next to the oil refinery in Antwerp, the group’s largest in Europe. With a storage capacity of 75 megawatt hours (MWh), enough electricity can be stored to power 10,000 families for a day.

Now that that project is complete, the French group will build a similar battery park near its petrochemical complex in Feluy, Wallonia. TotalEnergies estimates that this power storage will be ready by the end of next year. The two projects together represent an investment of 50 million euros.

TotalEnergies will therefore become one of the larger players on the Belgian energy storage market. Other established energy companies such as Engie, Eneco, Luminus and Storm also announced ambitions to build large battery parks in Belgium. In addition, there are newcomers with ambitious plans. The Dutch Giga Storage is aiming for the largest battery park in Europe in our country. That 600 MW project in Dilsen-Stokkem is more than 10 times as large as TotalEnergies’ two battery parks combined.

In addition to the battery parks in our country, TotalEnergies also has a more classic form of energy storage: the Plate Taille reservoir power plant (140 MW). Such activities are necessary to help balance fluctuations in electricity production and demand, including due to weather.

Electricity is a spearhead for the French oil major. With the acquisition of Lampiris, it grew into the fourth largest electricity supplier in Flanders. TotalEnergies has a gas power plant in Marchienne-au-Pont (430 MW) in our country and is the regular customer of the power from the Rentel offshore wind farm (309 MW). As the operator of 10,000 charging points, thanks in part to winning a major Flemish tender, it is also a major player in the electric charging market.