Battery storage park instead of hard coal

25.06.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The municipal utility cooperation Trianel is planning to build a large-scale battery storage facility with 900 MW in Waltrop (North Rhine-Westphalia) with partners.

One of the largest battery storage parks in Germany is to be built in Waltrop (North Rhine-Westphalia). Trianel GmbH from Aachen is planning and projecting a large-scale battery storage facility on the edge of the Ruhr region, which will have an output of 900 MW and a storage capacity of 1.8 million kWh in the first expansion stage, Trianel announced on June 25. The project is being realized on an unused plot of land that was originally required as a construction site for the neighbouring Trianel hard coal-fired power plant in Lünen.

The Swiss energy company BKW, based in Bern, and the German asset manager Luxcara are also involved in the project. Further municipal partners of Trianel are to join the consortium over the course of the year, the municipal utility cooperation also announced.
The battery storage park in Waltrop consists of three battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a capacity of 300 MW each in the first expansion stage. According to Trianel, up to 600 MW more are in preparation. Construction is scheduled to begin next year. A modular container design with lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP technology) will be used. Commissioning is planned for the first quarter of 2028.

Revenue potential in electricity trading and balancing energy marketing

In the area of large-scale batteries, the Swiss company BKW intends to build its own park with a capacity of over 500 MW by 2030. To achieve this strategic goal, the company is participating in the planned large-scale battery park in Waltrop.

"With the project in Waltrop, we are taking a major step towards a more flexible and stable energy system in Europe," says BKW CEO Robert Itschner. "BKW can leverage its comprehensive expertise along the entire value chain of the energy transition: from the planning of large-scale infrastructure to its construction and operation to the marketing of energy in the retail sector."

As an asset manager for sustainable energy infrastructure projects, Luxcara has already secured 520 MW of capacity. "With this battery storage project, we are not only expanding our portfolio of sustainable infrastructure, but also placing it exactly where grid flexibility is most urgently needed," explains Alexander Lüntzel, Investment Manager at Luxcara.

"With the increasing volatility of renewable energies, it is becoming imperative to invest specifically in flexibility," adds Sven Becker, CEO of Trianel. "Flexibility is the key to a successful energy transition. Battery storage systems in particular are ideal for stabilizing the overall system in a way that serves both the market and the grid."

Author: Heidi Roider