ENGIE and NHOA Energy Break Ground on 320MWh Drogenbos Battery Project in Belgium

Construction officially underway, marking a key milestone in the delivery of one of the largest battery storage systems in Benelux

DROGENBOS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NHOA Energy, global provider of utility-scale energy storage systems, joined ENGIE today in marking a significant milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony of a 320MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at ENGIE’s Drogenbos power station, near Brussels.

The ceremony, held this morning in the presence of Hans Bonte, Minister of Energy of the Government of Flanders, Vincent Verbeke, CEO of ENGIE Belgium, Nicolas van den Abeele, Managing Director Renewables & Batteries Benelux of ENGIE, and Giuseppe Artizzu, CEO of NHOA Energy, marked the official start of construction of ENGIE’s third large-scale battery project in Belgium.

Awarded under Belgium’s fifth Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) auction, the project will contribute to the adequacy of the national electricity system under a 15-year contract starting in November 2027. ENGIE has entrusted NHOA Energy with the supply, commissioning and long-term service of the BESS.

Once operational, the Drogenbos BESS will also support the integration of renewable energy and enhance grid stability, leveraging NHOA Energy’s proprietary NHEXUS and PROPHET control platforms. The system includes 88 battery containers, delivering up to four hours of discharge — equivalent to the average daily electricity consumption of over 38,000 households.

The Drogenbos BESS represents a new milestone in the partnership between ENGIE and NHOA Energy, following the ongoing construction of the 400MWh Kallo BESS, and confirms the companies’ joint commitment to accelerating the deployment of large-scale energy storage systems in Europe.

“Flexible energy generation and storage are key to the success of the energy transition and are therefore a key pillar of our strategy. ENGIE has set itself the target of operating 500MW of battery storage capacity in Belgium by 2030. With projects such as those in Drogenbos and Kallo, we are well on track to achieve that goal,” said Vincent Verbeke, CEO of ENGIE Belgium.

“We are proud to once again join forces with ENGIE, reinforcing our shared commitment to advancing battery energy storage across Europe. The start of construction at Drogenbos marks a further addition to the resilience of the European interconnected system, in a context where accelerating the energy transition is a lever of energy security for the continent,” commented Giuseppe Artizzu, CEO of NHOA Energy.