The 250 MW battery project in Noordoostpolder – for which Ventolines is conducting the development work – has moved closer. Today, the Municipal Board of the Noordoostpolder municipality has sent the draft zoning plan for the project to the municipal council. Starting from Wednesday, December 20, 2023, the zoning plan will be available for inspection by local residents.

With the publication of the draft zoning plan, the municipality confirms its support for this battery initiative on Westermeerdijk, in the rural area of Espel. It is one of the first battery projects of this scale being realized in the Netherlands. The inspection period will last six weeks and will run until January 31, 2024.

Spatially well-suited
In the press release regarding this, the Noordoostpolder municipality’s councillor Toon van Steen mentions that the project fits well spatially with the generation site on Westermeerdijk. He refers to the presence of the Noordoostpolder Wind Farm, where the NOP Agrowind and Westermeerwind wind farms, totaling 430 MW, will be connected to this battery park.

Once the spatial procedure is completed, and the zoning plan is finalized, Ventolines, on behalf of Begro Energy Projects, can proceed with the necessary permit applications. This is expected to occur in 2024, followed by construction beginning in 2025. The battery park is set to be fully operational by 2026 at the latest.

Flexibility and balancing services
The battery park covers an area of 4 hectares and is located right next to the TenneT Westermeerdijk high-voltage station. A portion of this large-scale battery will be directly connected to TenneT’s network, enabling the provision of flexibility and balancing services to the national grid operator. Two other sections will serve the two wind farms, allowing temporarily storing sustainably generated electricity, preventing any loss.

Rens Savenije, Business Lead System Integration, says, ‘This project is a perfect example of a combination of wind farms, solar parks, and batteries near the same high-voltage station. This is system integration at its best, positioning us as pioneers in the market. Ventolines is increasingly approached by developers and investors to support their projects with permits or contracting, and we are now working on a substantial portfolio of battery projects for various clients.’

Ventolines is overseeing the entire development of the battery park and is expected to leverage its knowledge and expertise in the subsequent phases of this project.