EWE to build the world’s largest battery project

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest news and business opportunities in your inbox
EWE to build the world’s largest battery project

EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Oldenburg-based utility company EWE, has announced its intentions to build the world’s largest battery by employing the well-known redox flow battery principle (in which electrical energy is stored in a liquid) along with new, environmentally friendly components in underground salt caverns.

These kinds of caverns are currently used to store natural gas. EWE GASSPEICHER is collaborating on the brine for power project (b4p) with the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, which developed the innovative components. The battery project uses salt water and recyclable polymers (plastics).

The total capacity of the project will reach 700 MW enough to supply around 75.000 households in the region.

Ralf Riekenberg, head of the brine4power project, said:

“We need to carry out some more tests and clarify several issues before we can use the storage principle indicated by the University of Jena in underground caverns. However, I expect that we will have an operating cavern battery by about the end of 2023”

EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH Managing Director, Peter Schmidt commented:

“If everything works, this may fundamentally change the storage market, i.e. the market for control energy. The amount of electricity this kind of storage facility contains – consisting of two medium-sized caverns – is sufficient to supply a major city such as Berlin with electricity for an hour. It means that we will have built the world’s largest battery. In contrast to other energy storage facilities that convert the electrical current into other energy carriers – for example into compressed air – we are storing the electricity directly with brine4power.”

EWE currently operates eight caverns in Jemgum in an underground salt dome for storing natural gas.

We also informed on other battery project in Germany, namely the EnspireME project, located in the municipality of Jardelund in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.  It will serve as a primary reserve provider and to store extra wind power and it will help reduce the use of thermal power plants for backup power. The project is being developed by Eneco Group and Mitsubishi Corporation.

We have also reported about other battery projects.

List of country news

Country news

  • June 28, 2017

    Capital Stage acquires shares in CHORUS Clean Energy AG

    Capital Stage AG has announced it has acquired from an institutional investor additional 54,999 shares of CHORUS Clean Energy AG.

    Read more
  • June 14, 2017

    GLS Bank to acquire majority stake in 48 MW German wind project

    Germany-based GLS Bank has announced an agreement to acquire the 80.1 percent stake in the 48-MW Gagel wind farm from energy cooperative Prokon Regenerative Energien eG.

    Read more
  • June 09, 2017

    Enbridge takes stake in Albatros offshore wind farm

    Enbridge Inc. has announced it will acquire 49.89 percent of the shares in EnBW's 112 MW Albatros offshore wind farm in the North Sea. EnBW will retain the remaining 50.1 percent.

    Read more
  • June 08, 2017

    ABO Wind sells over 100 MW of French projects to CEZ

    ABO Wind has reported the divestment of nine wind farm projects with a total nominal capacity of about 100 MW to the Czech supplier ČEZ. The amount of the transaction has not been disclosed.

    Read more
  • June 07, 2017

    EIB completes financing for 1.4-GW Nordlink Subsea Interconnector project

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €300 million (US$338 million) loan agreement with Norwegian transmission system operator (TSO) Statnett for the completion of the NordLink Subsea Interconnector project between Germany and Norway.

    Read more

Share this news

Join us

In order to get full access to News section, you must have a full subscription. You can check all the benefits of becoming a member and purchase a subscription on our membership page.