German mayor allocates land for 280MWh BESS after nuclear waste storage plan rejected

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

The mayor of a town in Germany has allocated land at a former nuclear power plant site for a 120MW/280MWh BESS, after the government rejected plans to use it for storing nuclear waste.

Beverungen mayor Hubertus Grimm announced the allocation of land to municipal utility and distribution network operator (DNO) Westphalia Weser for the ‘Würgassen storage park’ project last week (19 March).

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The site, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), houses the former Würgassen nuclear power plant which was decommissioned in 1994 but still stands today. The site will allow the BESS to utilise existing grid infrastructure including a transformer and power lines.

Though not stated, that infrastructure should also include a grid interconnection point, which can often take years or even decades to obtain for greenfield projects.

Westphalia Weser will invest €92 million (US$100 million) in the project, which should come online in H2 2026. Mayor Grimm explained that the decision comes after the state rejected alternative plans for the site.

“At the end of 2023, the Federal Environment Ministry fortunately rejected plans for a central storage facility for low- and medium-level radioactive nuclear waste in Würgassen. With a future-oriented project that supports the energy transition comes into focus, we live up to our role as one of the four energy locations named in the NRW regional plan,” he said.

The project will increase the stability of the grid’s energy supply, the Westphalia Weser’s announcement said.

It was described as a pilot project but at 120MW/280MWh it would be one of the largest BESS projects in Germany. Systems of 235MWh and 200MWh are currently being built by utility and generator RWE and developer BW Storage respectively, while another developer Kyon Energy said construction on a 275MWh one will start in 2024.

Several 300MW/600MWh projects are being planned by developer and system integrator Kyon Energy, which was acquired by investors Brookfield and NIC at the start of the year.

Germany had around 1GW/1GWh of front-of-meter grid-scale energy storage online as of end-2023 and, according to a recent report from consultancy GEEC, that could increase to 50GW by 2037. The market picked up in 2022 and 2023 after several years of stagnant grid-scale deployments.

A major development this year saw the government release an Electricity Storage Strategy, which ‘put storage on the political agenda for the first time’ according to Lars Stephan, senior manager of policy and market development for BESS integrator Fluence on LinkedIn.

24 February 2026
InterContinental London - The O2, London, UK
This isn’t just another summit – it’s our biggest and most exhilarating Summit yet! Picture this: immersive workshop spaces where ideas come to life, dedicated industry working groups igniting innovation, live podcasts sparking lively discussions, hard-hitting keynotes that will leave you inspired, and an abundance of networking opportunities that will take your connections to new heights!

Read Next

July 1, 2025
Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Giga Storage has acquired a 350MW/1,400MWh BESS asset in Germany, marking an expansion into the broader European energy storage market.
Premium
June 26, 2025
Documents filed with the Hawaiian Public Utilities Commission (PUC) have revealed the impacts of additional import tariffs to a Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) battery storage project.
June 26, 2025
Update 27 June 2025: Trianel and Luxcara responded to Energy-Storage.news’ enquiries below regarding the project timelines and the Battery Park’s planned capacities.
June 25, 2025
BESS developer-operator Dais Energy Ventures and investor Electric Land have announced a joint venture (JV) to develop, build and operate 4GW of BESS projects in Germany.
June 24, 2025
Publicly owned California utility Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and developer D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) have executed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 640MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in California.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter