Zeewolde wind farm continues construction of battery park with Rabobank and Eneco
The Zeewolde wind farm has formed partnerships with Rabobank and Eneco to continue the work of constructing its large-scale battery park with a storage capacity of 65 Megawatt hours (MWh). When completed, it will be one of the larger battery parks in the Netherlands. Rabobank has agreed to facilitate funding by providing a bank loan. Eneco is responsible for ensuring the battery’s market optimisation, by using predominantly wind-produced energy to charge the battery and reduce the load on the grid.
The battery park, which will cover an area of 2000 m², is being constructed alongside the transformer station for three wind farms located near Zeewolde. The flexibility that the battery offers will help to reduce grid congestion in the province of Flevoland, and so to accelerate the energy transition. The amount of energy stored on an annual basis is comparable to the average electricity used by around 12,000 households.
Speaking for the Zeewolde wind farm, Sjoerd Sieburgh Sjoerdsma comments: “Construction of the battery park began in July, with Rolls-Royce Power Systems as the contractor. No banks or energy companies were involved during the first phase of the project. It was financed entirely by locals living in the project area, which highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of our community. For the final stage, we went in search of strong partners, and we have found them in Rabobank and Eneco.”
Lucien Wiegers, for Eneco, adds: “With sustainable energy on the rise, we also need to be aware of how that energy is used on the grid. Eneco’s partnership with Zeewolde wind farm gives us the opportunity to control the battery park effectively, to make a difference for the local community and help to accelerate the energy transition.”
Hans Ketelaars, for Rabobank, continues: “Rabobank is dedicated to helping with the energy transition. Our ambition is to invest at least 30 billion euros in the energy transition during the years ahead: from insulating homes to making business premises more sustainable and investing in innovative circular start-ups. A large battery park next to Zeewolde wind farm aligns perfectly with this ambition.”
Local community
Ownership of the battery park will remain entirely with the local community. The residents of Zeewolde’s village centre were asked to participate by joining an energy cooperative, De Nieuwe Molenaars. The battery park is expected to be completed in the autumn of 2025.