Where acrylic fibres were produced in Lingen until 2021, Lower Saxony's largest battery storage facility is currently being built. RWE is building a 400-megawatt battery storage facility on the former premises of Dralon GmbH, northeast of the Emsland gas-fired power plant. The planned facility will be able to deliver its maximum output for at least two hours. This corresponds to a storage capacity of at least 800 megawatt hours. The energy company recently made the investment decision in favour of the plant, which is scheduled to go into operation by 2028.

‘Contribution to grid stability and reliable electricity prices’

Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE, emphasises: "With the expansion of renewable energies, the need for secure power is growing. New gas-fired power plants and battery storage facilities complement each other perfectly in this regard: While gas-fired power plants step in when wind and sun fail as energy sources for hours or days, batteries primarily bridge short-term gaps or peak loads. Our new battery storage facility in Lingen will absorb or feed in power within a few milliseconds, depending on demand. It thus makes an important contribution to grid stability and reliable electricity prices."

‘One of Germany's most important energy locations’

Dieter Krone, Mayor of the City of Lingen (Ems), emphasises the importance for the region: "The energy transition in Germany needs powerful and reliable storage capacities – and Lingen is playing a central role in this. The construction of the battery storage facility will ensure that the electricity grid remains stable and that short-term fluctuations can be efficiently balanced out. These forward-looking developments represent another important step in the transformation of Lingen as an energy location. Together with the existing infrastructure and further investments in the field of green hydrogen, Lingen is becoming one of Germany's most important energy locations."

Construction work has begun

According to RWE, the battery storage facility will, among other things, provide balancing energy to stabilise the power grid. It is also technically designed to provide new grid services such as momentary reserve (inertia). The battery park will house more than 200 lithium-ion battery units. More than 100 inverters, over 50 medium-voltage and two high-voltage transformers, and two switchgear panels complete the facility. The grid connection to the electricity grid will be via the Hilgenberg substation, which Amprion is building less than 50 metres away. Before the foundations for the new battery park can be laid, an 8.5-hectare site in the southern part of the industrial area must be prepared for construction. The relevant permits have been obtained for all work. Work began in early February 2026.

Significant expansion of battery storage capacities

At the end of the third quarter of 2025, RWE operated battery storage systems with a total capacity of around 1.2 gigawatts (GW). More than 2.7 gigawatts are under construction. As an integral part of its growth strategy, RWE plans to significantly expand its battery storage capacities worldwide.

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