Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) wants more large battery farms to store energy temporarily. The minister also plans to provide subsidies for it.

With the growing amount of energy from solar panels and wind farms, she expects much storage capacity will be needed to maintain balance on the grid. Solar and wind energy production depends on the weather, resulting in large fluctuations in supply and prices.

Balance on the grid

Belgium already has several battery parks, including some of Europe’s largest, and many more are still in the pipeline. However, additional batteries will be necessary to compensate for shortages, on the one hand, and to deal with surpluses of green energy in the future, on the other. They will have to help maintain the balance between demand and supply.

In the meantime, the federal government is still working on a deal with French energy provider Engie to keep Electrabel’s nuclear power plants open longer. This will be necessary to keep the lights on during some critical winters from 2025.

‘CRM too rigid’

Van der Straeten is also working on adjusting the subsidy mechanism for new electricity capacity because, according to the sector, the current CRM (Capacity Remuneration Mechanism) subsidy mechanism is “too rigid” for batteries. Investors in battery farms should also be eligible.

To stimulate battery projects that can be built relatively quickly, the minister is investigating an interim solution allowing support for several years.