(Reuters) – Swedish engineering consultancy company Sweco said it would design one of Europe’s largest battery energy storage systems, called Green Turtle, in Belgium. Sweco is designing the battery park on behalf of the company GIGA Storage Belgium.

WHY IT MATTERS:

Sweco said the park would make a significant contribution to the energy grid by providing stored renewable energy during periods of low solar and wind energy production — thereby reducing Belgium’s reliance on gas power plants.

BY THE NUMBERS:

The planned Green Turtle battery park will have a capacity of 700 megawatts, resulting in a storage capacity of 2,800 megawatt hours, which is equivalent to the average annual energy consumption of 385,000 households.

Construction on the project is due to begin in 2025, with the new battery park expected to be completed by 2028.

CONTEXT:

Europe wants to obtain 42.5% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, but the procedure for grid permitting has been sluggish and the zone’s power networks are being upgraded slowly.

Amid this backdrop, EU regulators last month approved a 682 million euro Belgian state aid scheme to support renewable offshore wind energy.

KEY QUOTE:

“The agreement concluded with our contractors, including Sweco, to be GIGA Storage Belgium’s partner for the design of the Green Turtle battery park comprises an important milestone,” said Joeri Siborgs, General Manager of GIGA Storage Belgium.

“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,” he added.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Michael Perry)