RWE switches on new €25m battery storage site

Deployment of battery storage is required to provide a rapid response to power changes on the national grid

RWE's new €25m battery storage project in Co Monaghan will supply 60MW of power to help balance fluctuations in the Irish energy grid. Picture: RWE

Renewable energy firm RWE has switched on its largest battery storage project that will supply 60 megawatts of power to help rapidly balance fluctuations in the Irish energy grid.

The €25m Lisdrum battery storage project in Co Monaghan will also provide a short-term backup to help address power outages and to maintain a more stable and secure electricity supply.

The site is the second battery storage facility that RWE has brought online in Ireland. Its first was an 8.5MW project located in Balbriggan, in County Dublin that went live in April last year.

In the first half of 2020, Irish onshore wind farms generated nearly 37% of the country’s electricity needs and Ireland has set a target of generating 80% renewable electricity by 2030.

RWE's new 60MW facility joins its 8.5MW battery storage plant in Stephenstown, Balbriggan. Picture: Shane O'Neill

Deployment of battery storage is required to provide a rapid response to frequency changes, importing or exporting electricity from the grid as needed, and helping stabilise the grid, while guaranteeing reliable supply for users.

Cathal Hennessy, the managing director of RWE Renewables Ireland, said: “We have invested €25m in Lisdrumdoagh to develop utility-scale battery storage, in a market which is already committed to renewable energies, and which provides dedicated support for battery storage.”