40 Tesla Megapacks Replace 70-Year-Old Generating Station In Belgium

The Tesla Megapack is bringing changes to the utility grid in the Belgian city of Lessines, which has depended on a gas-fired turbine for its electricity for 70 years. The only official mention of the story by the company is on Twitter. Oddly, the Google gods only can find references to this story in news sources that focus on electric automobiles. The local press in Europe seems to have completely ignored it.

The most important news here is that the Deux-Acren project, as it is known, has been underway for at least two years and was financed solely by Mirova Energy Transition 5, a shareholder in the project developer, Corsica Sole.

On its website, the company says, “With its capacity of 100 MWh, the Deux-Acren storage plant is the largest in the European electricity grid. Built in 6 months and entirely made up of lithium-ion batteries, it provides frequency regulation on the Belgian electricity network.

“In the context of the energy crisis, energy storage is today the key element to guarantee the energy independence of the European Union. It stabilizes the electrical networks by ensuring the balance between production and consumption without having to resort to auxiliary power plants running on fuel oil or gas. The proliferation of this type of project is a strategic issue for guaranteeing Europe’s energy sovereignty.”

Michael Coudyser, general manager of Corsica Sole, says, “This project is an important step for the development of electricity storage solutions in Europe. We financed this project with our shareholder, Mirova Energy Transition 5, without any public subsidy. By demonstrating that large-scale battery deployment is economically viable, we are proving that we can build a world based on renewable energy coupled with energy storage. With this project, Corsica Sole changes scale and becomes one of the European leaders in the sector. The multiplication of this type of project is a strategic issue to guarantee Europe’s energy sovereignty.”

Below is a video about the Deux-Acren Megapack installation posted by Tesla on YouTube.