Large Battery Storage Planned in Blankenhagen
An investor is planning to build a battery storage facility next to the substation at the corner of Brockhäger Straße and Blankenhagener Weg in Blankenhagen.
The city confirmed the receipt of the building application. “We have received a building application for a battery storage system in Blankenhagen,” city spokesperson Annette Blumenstein stated upon inquiry. “The Building Regulations Department is reviewing the feasibility, as such facilities are only allowed in outlying areas under certain conditions.”
Public Supply Privileged
According to Paragraph 35 of the Building Code, they are permissible “if public interests do not conflict, sufficient access is secured,” and if they “serve the public supply of electricity, gas, telecommunications services, heat and water, wastewater management, or a site-specific commercial operation.” The topic had already been briefly raised in February during a discussion by the Blankenhagen Citizens’ Association regarding the site search by the grid operator Amprion for a phase shifter. The applicant for the battery storage is the Hamburg-based project developer J&P Battery Projects. A plot of approximately 1.2 hectares has been secured, confirmed Managing Director Jens Peters on Wednesday. Construction is planned to begin in 2025 with an investment in the mid-single-digit million range.
Storage Capacity of 28 megawatt-hours
In the first phase, the battery field will cover an area of approximately 0.6 hectares. The facility is expected to have a storage capacity of 28 megawatt-hours, with a discharge rate of 14 megawatts per hour. A later expansion is not excluded. A larger but comparable facility has been developed in Neumünster, where the battery field consists of eight containers, inverters, transformers, cables, and traffic areas. J&P Battery Projects is currently building a similar, though larger, facility in Neumünster that compares to the one planned in Gütersloh.
Project Developer also an Investor
According to its website, J&P uses lithium-ion batteries from various manufacturers that can store electricity directly sourced from the power grid. The Hamburg-based company also manages the complete project implementation for third parties “up to the operation of the facility.” Attractive lease or purchase offers are made to owners of agricultural or commercial land near substations. In Blankenhagen, the company itself is the investor, Peters said.
Contribution to the Energy Transition and Business
Battery storage systems can contribute to the energy transition, Peters explained. Electricity can be stored and then released when needed. The business model involves “buying electricity when prices are negative and selling it when prices are positive.” Electricity is cheaper when a lot is produced and more expensive when little is generated. Michael Weber, Amprion spokesperson for the planned phase shifter, confirmed on Wednesday: “Potential plans for battery storage systems are unrelated to our plans, as Amprion is planning the construction of a technical facility, ‘Phase Shifter Ostwestfalen,’ in the area between the existing substations in Hesseln and Gütersloh. We are currently searching for a suitable site within the three known search areas for our planned facility.”