RWE Advances Energy Transition With Battery Storage Project in Rhineland Mining Region

RWE Advances Energy Transition With Battery Storage Project in Rhineland Mining Region

(IN BRIEF) RWE is building a new large-scale battery storage facility at the Hambach opencast mine site near Niederzier in Germany’s Düren district. The facility will have 236 MW of capacity and 470 MWh of storage capacity, using 128 lithium-ion battery containers. Preparatory work began at the end of 2025, the first battery containers have been delivered, and commissioning is planned for 2027. The storage system will help stabilise the electricity grid by balancing fluctuations in fractions of a second. It will also provide balancing energy and is designed to support future grid services such as inertia. RWE is currently constructing around 1.7 GW of battery storage capacity in Germany. Globally, the company operates 1.7 GW of battery storage and has a further 2.5 GW under construction.

(PRESS RELEASE) ESSEN, 29-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — RWE is expanding its battery storage portfolio with the construction of a new large-scale storage facility at the Hambach opencast mine site in Germany.

The battery storage system is being built near the village of Niederzier in the district of Düren.

Preparatory work on the three-hectare site began at the end of 2025, and the first battery containers have already been delivered.

The project will comprise 128 lithium-ion battery containers.

Once completed, the facility will have a capacity of 236 megawatts and a storage capacity of 470 megawatt-hours.

Commissioning is planned for 2027.

The storage facility is designed to help stabilise the electricity grid by balancing fluctuations in a fraction of a second.

It will also provide balancing energy and is intended to support future grid services, including inertia.

Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation, said RWE is currently building large-scale storage facilities in Germany with a combined capacity of around 1.7 gigawatts.

He said the Hambach battery storage facility will serve as a strong partner for wind and solar power by helping balance grid fluctuations quickly.

Valerius added that the site, located in the heart of the Rhineland mining region, offers ideal conditions for the project.

Thomas Körber, member of the RWE Power Executive Board responsible for lignite, said the Rhineland mining region remains an energy hub.

He said RWE is building storage facilities and renewable energy plants on opencast mining areas that are no longer needed.

Körber described the development as an important contribution to the energy transition directly from the opencast mine.

RWE has already commissioned three solar power plants at the Hambach opencast mine, with a combined capacity of around 50 MWac.

The site also includes an integrated battery storage facility with a capacity of 4.1 MW / 8.1 MWh.

A few kilometres away, in the area designated for the future Manheimer Bucht development, RWE is constructing an additional 14.8 MWac solar park together with a battery storage facility designed for 80 MWh of storage capacity.

RWE develops, builds and operates battery storage systems in the United States, Europe and Australia.

The company currently operates battery storage facilities worldwide with a combined capacity of 1.7 gigawatts.

A further 2.5 gigawatts of battery storage capacity is under construction.

Battery storage is a key part of RWE’s growth strategy, and the company plans to significantly expand its global storage portfolio as part of its role in supporting the energy transition.

Through the Hambach project, RWE is continuing to repurpose former mining areas for modern energy infrastructure, combining renewable generation, storage capacity and grid-stabilising services in one of Germany’s historic energy regions.

RWE

RWE is leading the way to a modern energy world. With its investment and growth strategy, RWE is contributing significantly to the success of the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the energy system. Around 20,000 employees work for the company in more than 20 countries worldwide. RWE is one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energy. RWE is investing billions of euros in expanding its generation portfolio, in particular in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy and batteries. It is perfectly complemented by its global energy trading business. Thanks to its integrated portfolio of renewables, battery storage and flexible generation, as well as its broad project pipeline of possible new builds, RWE is well positioned to address the growing global demand for electricity, particularly driven by further electrification and artificial intelligence. RWE is decarbonising its business in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway and will phase out coal by 2030. RWE will be net zero by 2040. Fully in line with the company’s purpose – Our energy for a sustainable life.

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SOURCE: RWE