Grid Bottleneck in Noord-Brabant Drives RWE's Decision to Build 400 MW Moerdijk Battery

RWE's decision with one of the Netherlands' largest battery storage installations is rooted not just in the country's renewable energy ambitions but in a specific and persistent infrastructure problem: grid congestion that has placed businesses and energy users across Noord-Brabant on waiting lists for grid access.

The German energy company has approved construction of a 400-megawatt, 1,100-megawatt-hour battery storage system at its Moerdijk power station, with commissioning targeted for the second quarter of 2028. Housed across 208 containers of lithium-ion batteries, the project will tap into an already congested part of the Dutch electricity network while simultaneously supporting the integration of offshore wind power into the system.

A Regional Grid Problem and How the Battery Addresses It

The Moerdijk site sits near a 150,000-volt high-voltage substation at Moerdijk-Noord, a location that has become a focal point for grid congestion affecting the broader Noord-Brabant region. Through capacity steering agreements with transmission system operator TenneT, the battery will be specifically dispatched to relieve bottlenecks at that location, with effects expected to ripple outward across the entire region. Mark Lentjes, Regional Director of TenneT Southern Netherlands, confirmed his organisation's backing for the scheme.

"We are pleased that RWE intends to contribute to a more efficient use of the electricity grid in West Brabant with a large-scale battery that acts as a congestion reliever. RWE's large-scale battery is located close to the 150,000-volt high-voltage substation at Moerdijk-Noord, where it will help to alleviate the regional bottleneck, which in turn has an impact on congestion across the whole of Noord-Brabant," he said. Lentjes added that clearing the bottleneck would open grid capacity for parties currently sitting on a waiting list who want to draw electricity from the network.

TenneT will work with regional grid operator Enexis to assess the wider implications of the battery's presence, with both operators expected to incorporate the development into a congestion management study scheduled for review in December 2026.

Technical Capabilities of the Moerdijk Installation

The battery system will be capable of delivering its full 400 MW output continuously for nearly three hours, giving it sufficient capacity to supply the evening peak electricity demand of around 500,000 households across that period.

On the generation side, the system can also absorb surplus electricity from the grid within seconds, enabling it to respond rapidly to fluctuations in supply. The new installation will connect to the national grid through the existing substation infrastructure already in place at the Moerdijk power plant, avoiding the need to construct new connection infrastructure. Beyond straightforward storage, the system will also be equipped to provide advanced grid services including instantaneous reserve, known as inertia.

That capability builds on work already underway at the site. Moerdijk is already home to a 7.5 MW, 11 MWh synthetic inertia battery, which RWE describes as the first of its kind to be connected to the continental European grid. Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE, described the project as a significant development for the region.

"This battery marks a major milestone for reliable power supply and grid relief in Noord-Brabant. As one of the largest and most powerful battery systems in the Netherlands, it will be capable of covering the evening peak demand of around 500,000 households for almost three hours. At the same time, it can absorb surplus electricity from the grid within seconds," he said.

Role in Integrating OranjeWind Offshore Generation

The Moerdijk battery also serves a strategic function within RWE's offshore wind development programme. RWE and TotalEnergies are jointly developing OranjeWind, a 795 MW offshore wind project off the Dutch coast, which is designed to pair offshore generation with onshore flexibility solutions that help align renewable output with demand patterns.

At Moerdijk, the battery is intended to store electricity when wind output is strong and return it to the system when demand requires it, smoothing out the variability that is characteristic of wind generation. RWE stated that the battery contributes to the system integration of OranjeWind by supporting optimal use of renewable electricity.

The company also pointed to complementary technologies at the site, including electrolysis, electric boilers and smart charging, as part of the broader push to integrate offshore wind into the Dutch energy system more effectively.

RWE's Battery Portfolio in the Netherlands and Globally

The Moerdijk project is not RWE's first battery venture in the Netherlands. The company already operates two battery storage systems in the country: an existing installation at the Moerdijk site and a 35 MW, 41 MWh battery located at its Eemshaven power plant. At the global level, RWE currently operates battery storage systems with a combined installed capacity of approximately 1.7 gigawatts, with a further 3 gigawatts under construction.

The company develops, builds and operates battery storage systems across the United States, Europe and Australia, and has identified the significant expansion of its battery storage capacities worldwide as a core element of its growth strategy.