recently revealed that it plans to develop Europe's largest battery storage facility with a capacity of 800 MW/1,600 MWh on the site of the decommissioned Brockdorf nuclear power plant in Germany. Site operators will now need approval to dismantle the plant.
Europe's largest battery storage facility may be built on the site of the decommissioned Brockdorf nuclear power plant in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. PreussenElektra, the former operator of the
nuclear power plant, announced its intention to build an 800 MW/1,600 MWh storage facility. Site operators will need to obtain a decommissioning and demolition permit for the plant before construction can begin.
PreussenElektra submitted its demolition application in 2017 and is still awaiting approval.
The location is ideal for the storage project, and the 12 hectares of land necessary for the project can be obtained by developing on the site of the former power plant. The company reports that there is no need to reseal the currently vacant area. In addition, the grid connection of the nuclear power plant is still available and can also be used for battery power plants in the future in order to reduce investment costs.
This geographical location is also very advantageous for the above projects. Brockdorf is located on the Elbe River north of Hamburg, and the nearby Wilster substation, which mainly transmits wind power, is facing major challenges due to fluctuations in power supply. In this strategic location, a large battery storage system would be particularly useful.
"With Brockdorf's location, we are ideally placed to be part of a solution to alleviate the current tense grid situation in the region," said Guido Knott, Chairman of the PreussenElektra Management Board. Start to do the detailed planning. We now need to plan for the safety of the use of our facility site.
PreussenElektra is still waiting for permission to decommission and dismantle the plant. The company submitted its application in 2017. On December 31, 2021, the nuclear power plant ceased operation. Since then, the operator has wanted to continue to use the site to add value to the energy industry, but without a mining licence, no progress can be made.
Once the planned safety steps are completed, the capital will need to be secured. Preussen Elektra said it would coordinate with an investment agency within E.ON (E. ON Group), itself owned by E.ON. More details, including the final investment amount, will be disclosed after all necessary approvals have been obtained
, PreussenElektra said. The plan will be carried out in multiple phases, in line with the process of dismantling the nuclear power plant. The first phase will be developed on land on the unused side of the plant, while the second phase will require the dismantling of the plant.