German decommissioned nuclear plant to become 800 MW/1,600 MWh battery

PreussenElektra has revealed plans to potentially develop Europe’s largest battery storage facility at the decommissioned Brokdorf nuclear power plant site in Germany, with 800 MW/1,600 MWh of capacity. The site operator now needs to secure approval to dismantle the nuclear plant.

Image: Wikipedia/Alois Staudacher

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From pv magazine Germany

Europe’s largest battery storage facility could be built on the site of the decommissioned Brokdorf nuclear power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.

The former operator of the nuclear power plant, PreussenElektra, announced plans for an 800 MW/1,600 MWh storage facility. To begin construction, the site operator needs a decommissioning and dismantling permit for the nuclear power plant.

PreussenElektra submitted the dismantling application in 2017 and is still waiting to have it approved.

The location is suitable for the project. The 12-hectare area that must be available for the storage facility could be developed on the site of the former power plant. The company reports that it is not necessary to reseal currently vacant areas. In addition, the nuclear power plant’s grid connection is still available and could be used for the battery power plant, reducing investment costs.

The location is also favorable. Brokdorf is located north of Hamburg on the Elbe River. The Wilster substation in the immediate vicinity would mainly transport wind power and faces major challenges due to fluctuating feed-in. A large battery storage system would be particularly useful in this strategic location.

“With the Brokdorf location, we have ideal conditions to be part of the solution in the current tense network situation in the region,” said Guido Knott, chairman of the PreussenElektra management board. “Together with our partners in the Eon Group, we would now like to start detailed planning. We now need planning security for the use of our facility site.”

PreussenElektra is currently still waiting to secure a permit to decommission and dismantle the nuclear plant. It applied for it in 2017. On Dec. 31, 2021, the nuclear power plant stopped operating. Since then, the operator has wanted to continue to use the location to add value to the energy industry, but without the mining permit, no progress is possible.

Once the planning security steps have been completed, capital will need to be secured. PreussenElektra says that it will coordinate with an investor within the E.ON Group, to which PreussenElektra also belongs.

PreussenElektra said it will provide additional details, including the final investment amount, after obtaining all necessary approvals. The multi-stage plan will align with the nuclear power plant dismantling progress. The first stage will be developed on the unused side of the plant site, while the second stage will require the dismantling of the nuclear plant.

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